The Stories Around Us
by bobshady
Summary: So much focus is put upon the great heroes and legends. So much in fact, that often the ones who help make them great are forgotten. This is a story about OCs who help create legends. This is a story of how the ones who don't have greatness fight, and live, and love. This is their story, and I'm going to tell it.
1. Sent to Serve

"Sent to Serve"

The Loremaster beckoned Lucius and his brother over. As they stood before him, the Loremaster beckoned toward another pair of acolytes, one a girl with brown skin and red hair and the other a boy with light skin and purple hair. "Lucius Rook, Corbin Rook, it is with reluctance that we give you into the world. We have decided to send you to join the Huntsmen. To fight the darkness, one must be more than one, so you will also be joined by two of your fellow acolytes, Sanguine Dirge and Eminence Orchid. Teach the Huntsmen of our ways, and always stand against the darkness". Lucius and Corbin looked at each other, than back toward the Loremaster. "When do we leave?" asked Corbin. "In the morning. There will be an airship that will land to pick you up. Until then, I would like you all to get to know each other". Nodding, the four left the room and headed for the cafeteria.

"So," Corbin started with a grin, "I'm Corbin and this is my twin brother Lucius. Which one of you is which?". "I'm Sanguine, this guy here is Emi" she said while pointing her thumb at the purple haired boy. "Hey, aren't you two supposed to be really good fighters or something?" the newly named Emi asked. Corbin grinned at him before throwing his arm over his twins shoulder. "Yep. Two of the best fighters in this place. Boss man himself said that we were the most skilled acolytes he has seen in years. How about you two? The old man wouldn't have sent a pair of nobodies to represent our order. How good are you two?". Emi and Sanguine smiled at the twins. "We were considered for early placement into the order of Ash Rangers" replied Emi. "Wow" Lucius said, awestruck. The Ash Rangers were warriors of the faith sent out to gather information on grimm movements and suspicious activity. They were considered some of the finest specialists the order had to offer. It was a great honor to be accepted among their ranks, an honor that Lucius himself desired. "Thats pretty impressive. All we're known for is being very good at killing grimm. A good thing, but there is more to the world than fighting". The newly formed group walked into the cafeteria and gathered the food laid out for them. "Ash bread with gravy and seared fish served with water... you guys really don't have anything else?" asked Sanguine "not that there is anything wrong with that!" she was quick to say after seeing the look of confusion on Lucius's face. "In the southern enclave we have a larger selection of food because of the traders that come into our harbor" explained Emi. "Ah, we don't have that here. Most aren't willing to dare the ashstorms, and those that do, don't do it without good reason. Food variety is considered second to new followers and shipments of metal." said Corbin. "Not much food selection and not much of what is there, but hey, we are being sent to join a Huntsmen school. They have good food right?" Emi nodded his head in agreement. "Yep" he stood, holding out his cup. "To good food and new people". The others joined him in the toast.

"So, what weapon do you guys use?" asked Sanguine on their way to retrieve their one, true possessions that they would be taking with them to the Huntsmen school, Beacon. "I use a staff with two bells that transforms into a bomb catapualt. It also doubles as a three string bass guitar. I call her Knock Knock". Emi laughed at the starry eyed gaze his partner gave her weapon. "I use dust infused gauntlets. They help with my semblance. I call them Manos amigas". The team entered their locker room and started getting their weapons out. "That's pretty cool. Mine is a hand scythe/silenced pistol. It's called Luce Spei" replied Corbin. Lucius looks slightly embarrassed as everyone else hefts their weapons and looks at him. "I got a few decks of tarot cards" he replies, holding up said cards. Emi and Sanguine look at each other than back to Lucius. "Neat" they say in tandem. Corbin laughs at the down cast look on Lucius's face. "Cheer up brother, after all, no one expects a deck of cards to be dangerous". Lucius sighs and shrugs. "At least I'll get the jump on any opponents". The team laughed at him good naturedly as they walk toward the landing pad. Lucius placed his final possession, a battered and worn grey fedora, upon his head before following the rest of his team. Upon exiting the building, they spotted an aircraft waiting for them with an older cat faunus woman with tawny hair and a blue uniform standing next to it. "You the four I have to fly to Beacon?" queried the woman. "That would be us" replied Corbin. The woman nodded her head to them. "Anything else you bringing or is it just you?". Looking at each other, they shrugged. "If there is anything else going we were not told about it" answered Sanguine. "If that is all than get on board. My name is Moira Agincourt. I will be your pilot. You will sit in the back. If you fall off I will not return for you. If you do not listen to what I tell you, I will throw you off and not return for you. If you harass my other passengers, THEY will throw you off, and I will not return for you". The four of them looked askance at her. "Harsh" mumbled Emi under his breath. "Get on the ship, now" growled Moira. The team is quick to comply, jumping onboard and sitting in their seats. Sanguine and Lucius sat together while a large man sat between them and Corbin and a skinny man and an old walrus faunus with cybernetics sat across from them with Emi. The engines began getting louder as the ship took off, leaving the northern enclave of the Cleansing Flame, and all they had known, behind.

"So" began Emi over the whine of the engines, "You guys hear any good music?" The skinny man scoffs. "As if you would know what is good music". Sanguine frowns at him. "He's just trying to start a conversation". The skinny man sneered at her. "Well he did a poor job of it. At the very least he could be civilized enough to explain his name first" retorts the skinny man, quite snobbishly. "You didn't speak your name either" Sanguine shot back. "You both shut up. It's a long damn flight back to Atlas and if you don't shut your gobs I'll toss you both out the hatch" growled the old walrus. The old man sitting next to Lucius laughed at him. "That would be entertaining. You getting up and getting the old bat to open the hatch. Want her hold them down for you to?" The old walrus glared at him. "I'll toss you out on your head if I thought you wouldn't enjoy being fed to grimm". The intercom crackled. "Girls, girls, your both pretty. Now shut your mouths and act civil or I'll dump you all out and claim it was an electrical malfunction. No one will question it, no one will look for your bodies". The hold went silent at the threat before Corbin whispered to the old man. "Would she actually do that?" The old man, the skinny man, and the walrus faunus shared glances. "No doubt at all lad" spoke the walrus. The skinny man nodded agreement. "Moira would. Half a chance to dump Brick (points at the old man) and I and she would probably take it. To drop him (points at the walrus faunus) she might take a minute, but would probably do it anyway". The team looks at each other and without a word decide to be as polite as possible. "So" starts the newly named Brick "Who are you lot?". Lucius holds up his hand "Lucius Rook, (points at the only girl in the hold) Sanguine Dirge." Corbin holds his hand up "I'm Lucius's twin Corbin, and this is Eminence Orchid. We're on our way to Beacon to join the Huntsmen". The old faunus scoffed. "I'm Pyrite. That (points at the old human) is Brick. He's an asshole. The other is Tybalt. So, Huntsmen huh? You're in for a ride, that's for sure". Emi tilted his head. "Why do you say that?" Brick chuckled as he pulled a fat cigar out of his breast pocket. "Boy, we're mercenaries. We get paid to do a job. We are paid well. Sometimes it gets a bit messy, or someone doesn't want to pay up. We get paid what we're owed or Pyrite and I start crushing bones. Huntsmen get paid to do the same jobs, with less support, for less money, and if the client doesn't pay, the most you can do is take your time getting to them the next time they call for help". Brick leaned back as he chewed on his cigar. "Shit pay for a shit job, generally with a glorified 'atta-boy' at the end of the day. I make more per job than you will per year when you graduate kid. You can be a Huntsman, I'll be a well paid mercenary any day over that". The Four teenagers looked at each other and shrugged. It was Sanguine who broke the ensuing silence. "We fight to hold back the darkness, not for profit or glory. You can have your money. The Huntsmen can have their glory. We have our purpose, and our faith that what we do is right. Everything we need is either provided for us or is easily accessible with our skill sets. We go to teach our faith, and to provide our skills to keep up our end of the agreement the Seven Rings signed with the four kingdoms".

Tybalt mumbled under his breath about zealots before falling into a light sleep. Brick grinned at them as Pyrite rubbed his hand down his face. "Faith healers and preachers huh? Never thought I would see the day that holy folk would actually try to fight. So, little pilgrims, care to tell me about the faith of Oum? Or about how if I'm a good little boy I will go to heaven?" The four laughed at Brick as his smug expression turned to confusion. "If you had any idea about our faith you would laugh to" said Lucius. "Our faith is the Faith in the Flame. For me, I follow the aspect of the Cleansing Flame". Brick looked more confused than before as Pyrite leaned forward in interest. "Corbin follows the aspect of the Flame of Life. Sanguine, the Fire of Inspiration. Emi, the Guiding Light. As there are many different aspects of life, so to are there aspects and teachings to follow". Brick was silent for a moment when Pyrite spoke. "What's the difference between the aspects?" Lucius looked at him, feeling mildly surprised at his interest. He cleared his throat before diving into his explanation. "The Cleansing Flame is the aspect that burns away all impurities. The Flame of Life" nods toward Corbin "burn with vitality and vigor. The Fire of Inspiration brings out creativity and wonder. The Guiding Light is the light of knowledge and of passing it on". He paused, and Emi took over. "Each aspect has a mantra, something to keep you focused. The mantra of life is 'Every breath is a sweetness, every taste a joy, every touch a statement'. The mantra of inspiration is 'To make something better you must know how. To know how you must experience. To experience you must interact. By interacting, you change everything. Make it better'". Brick nodded his head and Pyrite stroked his chin. "The mantra of the Guiding Light is 'What was lost will be found. What was once unknown will be brought to light. Where the darkness of ignorance blinds, the light of knowledge will shine'". He smiled at the end, apparently taking pleasure on teaching others of his faith. "What of the Cleansing Flame?" growled Pyrite. "I want to hear the mantra for that one". Emi looked down in embarrassment. "I'm afraid I don't know that one. Lucius, can you tell him?" Lucius looked at his teammate and shrugged. "'Salvation through service. Service through sacrifice'". Brick smirked at him. "Sounds pretty grim boy. So ready to run off and die?" Lucius shook his head. "The first prayer I was taught for the Cleansing Flame was 'Everything burns, everything dies. It is from the ashes that life is born anew'. Followers of the Cleansing Flame are not a hopeful lot, we know that life is precious and finite, so we try to make the most of it while we have the chance". Having said his piece, Lucius leaned back and rested his head against the side of the ship in an attempt to sleep. Brick smiled. "Everything burns, everything dies, huh? More wisdom than you usually find in scripture. Alright. I'll leave you to it then". Brick rested his head back and slept as well. Corbin shrugged and followed suite, leaving Pyrite to go to the cockpit and keep Moira company.


	2. For Want Of A Ship

"For Want of a Ship"

"Hey, old man! I'm back". Pyrite woke from his nap to the sound of someone banging on his office door. Rubbing the crust from his eyes, he blinked blearly at the door. A young man wearing a captains coat and a wide brimmed hat stood smiling at his door. "Oh, hey boy. Thought you were going to be in Atlas for another week". He stomped passed the door, grabbing the key and unlocking it on his way to the coffee machine. "Yeah... plans changed...". Looking up at the young man as he poured two cups of coffee he sighed. "What happened Glas?". Glas sat down across from the old walrus faunus. "They broke the contract". Pyrite growled at that. "Bad form, baaad form". Glas nodded his head in agreement. "To make matters worse, they didn't want to take me up on my 'early-out offer'. Bastards tried to kill me". Pyrite paused in the middle of his drink. Setting his cup down he sat back in his seat. "What happened?".

Glas Hopper sat in the pilot's seat of his personal bullhead, waiting for his clients to show up at the rendezvous. He had been hired by an anti-faunus group know as Black Collar. He had made a contract with them to fly them around and move equipment for them. He made it known that he would not be involved in anything direct against faunus. He personally had nothing against faunus and would not normally make life harder for them, but he also had been on a bad luck streak and the money was needed to pay for operating fees and living expenses, so if he was hired to transport stolen equipment, than that's what he would do. Tonight's job was as simple as they come anyway. The Black Collar had paid him to take them to an old mine, wait for three hours and take them back with what ever they brought with them. They had already been four hours and if it weren't for the fact that they had only paid him half then he would have already been halfway back to Vale by now. A light flashed on and off quickly in the distance. "Bout time they showed up". He switched the bullhead on and began prepping for flight. Six men got in the back quickly and sat down with a large crate between them. "Get us out of here!". Glas sighed. Polite as always. Finishing preflight, Glas took off. As he passed the tree line the bullhead was struck by gunfire. "What the hell?! Who's shooting at us?". The leader of the group shouted for him to turn the ship around. As if he wasn't already trying to get out of there... A sudden staccato of gunfire from right behind him broke his concentration. They were firing on the faunus! Getting them out of there as quickly as he could, Glas passed over a small settlement on his way out. The only reason he knew it was a settlement was the bodies laying on the ground. The buildings and walls looked to have been knocked down with heavy earth movers and the bodies lay all around pools of blood. "What happened down there?". The leader laughed. "As if you don't know. Nice job flying us out of there. Wish you had flown a bit slower, we could have gotten more of those animals". Feeling sick to his stomach, Glas turned his concentration toward flying and away from the 'men' who had just butchered whole faunus families with his help.

An hour later saw the group landing at the Black Collar's base of operations. A large warehouse converted into an aircraft hanger with attached dock on a very wealthy mans property. He had never been in the mans mansion or near the dock, but whatever was in there must have cost a fortune. Didn't matter anyway. He needed to have a talk with the leader of these bastards. After shutting down the bullhead, Glas made his way to the rear office of the warehouse where the leaders would often meet. Knocking on the door, he was ushered in quickly. The man who hired him, a rather fat fellow with far to many chins and to little common sense named Puce welcomed him. "Pilot, I heard great things about the mission tonight. Plenty of animals were 'taken care of', haha. We wouldn't have been able to get out there on foot, but because of your contribution to the cause, we were able to put them in their place. Yes siree, you are going to help us so much. Now, did you want to speak with me?". Glas held up the contract he had written up with the man in front of him. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but does it not say 'no direct actions against faunus' on my contract? You sent me to take them out to kill faunus. That goes against my contract. I'm a reasonable man, I'll surrender half of my remaining fee in exchange for early termination of the contract, but I am done working for you". Puce stood shocked for a minute, before starting to shake. "You think that little piece of paper means you can walk away from this?" he said, nearly choking on his fury. "Yeah. I do. You pay what I'm owed, we call it square. You don't make trouble for me, I don't make trouble for you". Puce looked fit to burst for a moment before he calmed down. "Let me explain something to you, you arrogant little twit" he started before pressing a button under his desk, summoning a pair of Black Collar goons. "We give you money, you do the job. I don't care what the contract says, you DO THE JOB! Since you can't seem to understand that, these fine gentlemen will beat you to death, then we will get someone else to do your job. How does that sound? Huh! How does that-" BANG. Glas leveled his pistols at the two goons. BANG, BANG. He heard people in the next room scrambling for their weapons. "I never liked these guys anyways..."

After 'failing to communicate' with the rest of the Black Collar's, Glas began searching the building for his pay. After finding large amounts of money, weapons, and explosives, he looked in the mansion. Priceless artwork on every wall along with an extensive dungeon and poorly hidden incriminating evidence made him regret ever working for such monsters. After 'appropriating' a large pile of rare valuables and a large 'services rendered' deposit into his account, Glas made his way into the dock. After switching on the lights he nearly fainted at want he saw. An airship, fully operational, luxurious in the extreme with high performance engines and big enough to act as a mobile launch pad was docked. Climbing aboard, Glas discovered it to be a smugglers dream with false walls and floors on nearly every deck. With a glint in his eye, Glas got aboard his bullhead and headed straight for Atlas academy.

After making a claim to know about a terrorist group and their whereabouts, he was brought into a bright room. After he told his interrogator that he would only speak to General Ironwood himself he was made to wait for several hours. After his third request for a drink was denied, General James Ironwood entered the interrogation room as he requested. "I was informed that you had information about a terrorist group... And that you would only speak to me... Why is that mister..?". "My name is Glas Hopper. Captain Glas Hopper. I chose to speak only to you because I do not trust anyone else with this information. Now, before I say anything else, I want blanket immunity, a Letter of Marque, and rights to a ship I found". James stood stunned for a minute. "Why on all of Remnant would I grant you any of that?". "Because, General, I have knowledge about a terrorist group operating in your jurisdiction with help from several highly placed people. I was also a witness to an atrocity that I had been misled into helping with. As for the Letter of Marque and the ship, I am a Captain with only a bullhead to my name and I am tired of standing by while bad men do bad deeds. I'll not have it General, but I also have nothing against your soldiers. If I act, I do not want one of your men trying to bring me to jail. So, grant my requests, and the information I have is yours". James pondered the question for several moments. While he could just deny the young man and charge him with providing false testimony, it would be nothing compared to the apprehending of a terrorist group. Making his decision, the General spoke. "On the conditions that I inspect the ship, and that you report directly to me. A Letter of Marque is not something I want any hoodlum running around with". Glas smiled. "Those terms are acceptable General. Now, have you ever heard of the Black Collars..."

Pyrite slapped his prosthetic leg. "Hahahaha! You got old 'Ironpants' to agree with that! What about the ship lad! What did you do with the ship!". Glas smiled. "He let me have it. Said that 'a luxury liner was of no use to him'". Pyrite looked at Glas before breaking out in a deep belly growl of a laugh. "'Ironpants' can't see what could be done with such a ship?! Hahahaha! Boy, you bring that ship in and I will see to it that it's done up right!". Glas nodded, knowing what the old walrus had in mind. "Aye, some three-inch guns for fighting and I'm sure we have something special laying around here we can put on her to really make her memorable. All that gold plating and fancy stuff I have no use for can go. What I need is a service ship that I can do anything with". Pyrite hummed an acknowledgement, already busy making notes as to what to outfit the ship with. "Got a name for her yet? Or are you keeping the old one?". Glas got a disgusted look on his face. "Ugh, no. The old name was 'Puce Moose'. No way is that staying. It needs a good overhaul if I'm to hunt pirates and transport cargo. I don't mind some of the wood work. The interior has mahogany and cherry wood walls. Excellent craftsmanship, if you ignore the tacky gold put on everything. Less comfort, more rugged and capable of toughing out a pirate or grimm attack. I'll name it when it's finished. Until then" Glas pulled an expensive bottle of liquor out of his kit bag "to Captain Hopper and his first mate, Mister Hawkins!". Pyrite smiled as he poured the remaining coffee back into the pot before pouring the fine drink in its place. "First mate be a bit low lad. What say you I be Captain?". Glas shook his head. "I'm wise to your tricks old man. No, first mate and be glad for it. Least it will get you out of this office". Pyrite looked around his office before laughing and raising his glass in a toast. "To Captain Glas and First Mate Hawkins boy!". With a clink of glass the two started drinking toward a bright future.


	3. An explanation

"An explanation"

This is an AU. As a fanfic, that much is obvious, what is not, is what makes it different. In this AU, the Faunus Revolution happened only thirty years prior to the start of the show. The main style of the war is trench and urban warfare for the most part, with WW1 levels of technology. While this war has little impact on the story, it has a large impact on some of the characters. Brick DeMarco was in the infantry and Moira Agincourt was sent to serve in the fledgling Aviation Corps, both of Atlas. Pyrite John Hawkins did not serve any of the four kingdoms directly, but he did smuggle for them all at one point or another.

The biggest participants in the war would be Atlas and Managerie. Mistralian mercenaries and Vacuoan pirates would also make their mark, while Vale would be the largest haven for refugees, though the southern border was were many battles were fought. Several chapters will deal with the war and what happened. I do NOT condone this, but it's how the story goes. War is a horrible thing where the best and worst of humanity is put on display. Trench and urban warfare is considered some of the worst. In trench warfare men die for feet of blasted terrain, the dead spoil the ground and cause sickness, polluted water stagnates and soldiers are forced to live in it for months. Madness, shellshock, hopelessness, mass charges where the only thing accomplished is more dead friends to hide behind. This is where Brick DeMarco will be fighting for the Atlesian Expeditionary Force. Moira will be doing most of her flying in the skies above Managerie, though she will also be fighting in at least one city. Know that I am NOT good at writing fight scenes.


	4. A monster makes itself known

"A monster makes itself known"

Rain. Rain today. Rain tomorrow. Rain yesterday. Rain the day before that. Always with the rain...oh well, thought Captain Abraham Castille of the Atlesian Heavy Foot Mobil, can't let it get me down. Bad for the men's morale. Even though he had only held command due to everyone else higher ranked getting killed, he nonetheless took his duty seriously. Twenty years old and fresh from college, he had been training to be an engineer when his service number was called. Due to his taking an easy A class known as Officer's Training, he had been made lieutenant and sent to the front. That was last month. His commanders had been killed, picked off or mowed down, until he was in command of almost three hundred men. *heh* To bad it was supposed to be closer to eight hundred. He stood up, stretched, and began doing his rounds. Cheering the men as best he could, distributing food and ammunition, clean socks, and other such small gestures as he could give them, he had become a welcome sight to the weary Atlesian men. As he neared the end of the line, he noticed a large gap in the distribution of his men. For any other commander this would be cause for concern. And for Captain Castille it was, though not for the lack of men, but of the inclusion of one. "He's still alive?" he asked of a nervous soldier. "A-aye sir, least since nightfall. He was stripping the dead and u-using their bodies for, for puppets sir". The soldier turned and vomited, the memory to much for him. The captain himself had turned pale. They were men of honor. Soldiers. They did not deserve such a fate, enemy or not. He stromed down the trench in search of the man, no, the monster who did this.

He found him alright... He found him trying on their enemies hats and reading their dogtags. "Sargeant, as an officer, I expect you to stand when you see me". The enormous man looked at him with a smile and slowly stood. Seven feet, three inches of muscle, bone, and cruelty looked at the six foot officer as though he were the punch line to a joke. "Sargeant Brick DeMarco, you are under my command only because you have proven useful in the fight against the faunus. Were it any other way, you would be court marsheled and hanged for your actions". The big man looked at the captain for a moment before he laughed in his face. "Hanging! *loud laughter* Boy, you sit back and I'll win you this war. Tell me to go forward and I'll fight by myself against the animals. Might even win you some medals for it to. Bravery! Fearlessness! Tactical thinking! Words that look good on paper. *heh* Hanging. Foolish little man". Abraham fumed for a moment before he stopped and smiled. "Do it then". Brick looked confused for a minute. "Do what?". "Cross no mans land, the mines, the machine guns, the snipers, survive that and take the next trench, BY YOURSELF". The sargeant stared at the captain, then he smiled. Then, he laughed. "Sir, yes sir".

Brick waited until he had finished lunch before making his move. He began by pulling off a piece of plate armor from a destroyed tank nearby. He stuck a helmet up above the trench wall. It was shot. He did it again. Same thing. He stuck another one up and this one was not fired on. He smiled before lifting the piece of armor and charging into no mans land. He made it three steps before coming under machine gun fire. He held the armor plate in front of himself as he ran, bullets bouncing off left and right. He could feel the heat from some of them they were so close to his fingers. As he stepped out of an artillery crater he stepped on a mine. When it blew, it launched him high into the air, only for him to land on a second when he came down. Rolling into another artillery crater he took stock of his condition. His chest and legs had been torn open. His head was cut and bleeding. And he was on fire He laughed. Those poor bastards. They didn't know. His semblance made him tougher every time he gets hurt or hit. The poor bastards. He stood up and was immediately shot in the forehead. *heh* The bullet bounced off. He threw the plate of armor away and ran towards the enemy line.

It lasted all night. Not one man from Atlas would ever forget that night so long as he lived. The cries. The screams. The pleads for mercy. Not one man came to their aid, not one answered their pleads for death. Not one man dared to help, for they and the faunus of Managerie had something in common. They all feared Brick DeMarco. When the sun rose once more, it was to a haunted battlefield. The line of Atlesian men walked cautiously across the battlefield. They feared no snipers or machine guns, but bombs and mines do not fear man, and so they traveled with caution. Captain Abraham Castille was the first into the faunus trenches. He promptly vomited. He hadn't simply killed them. He had gutted them. Cut them to pieces, as though he had butchered them for meat. Everyone of them, they're eyes open in mortal terror, faces frozen in agony and horror in equel measure. The first of his men who saw what was done to the faunus refused to get into the trench, and he did not blame them. He ordered them to return to their trenches, and not speak a word of what was done here. He walked the trench, forcing himself to witness what he had ordered. He finally found DeMarco. He was sitting on an ammo crate, eating pudding from the still bloody skull of a rabbit faunus. Every few bites he would pick up an ear and take a bite out of it. DeMarco finally looked up and smiled at the young captain. "How you doing sir? Fine day isn't it? Cleared the trench just like you asked. Took awhile, *spits out a piece of fur* but I managed. Funny thing though boss man. These flop ears, they were ordered to pull out yesterday night". Abraham looked at him in horror. "Oh yeah, honest upon my mother boss, they were told to pullout by the numbers so that they could reinforce in the north. Guess our new tanks are giving them a good thrashing huh". Brick slaps his knee and laughs. "Yeah, if you had waited maybe an hour they would have pulled back. Good going boss. Bet you get a medal for 'initaitive' or something". Brick sets the skull down, pudding now eaten. Well boss man, I suppose I aught to go get treatment for my injuries". Brick stands up and goes to climb out of the trench when he hears the click of a bullet being chambered. He looks behind himself and sees Abraham pointing his service pistol at Brick's head. "Problem boss?". Abraham shakes from shame, disgust, and regret. "Why did you kill them like that? You could have just stabbed them, shot them, blew them up. Why like that!? Why draw it out?!". Brick scratches his neck. "Because I could, and because you told me to kill them, but not how". Abraham looks around once again before glaring at Brick once more. "You'll be hanged for this!". Brick smiles. "Do you honestly think people care that much about the flop ears that they would send more boys to die for them? No. If anything, I'll get an award, medal, commendation, something. And you will get your pretty promotion and accolades. People will thank you for what you've done. And while you are sitting in your office, forgotten by the world, I will be walking free, doing what I always do. How does that make you feel, Captain?".

Abraham knew he was right. He would be promoted. He would be rewarded by what he did here. He closed his eyes and made a decision. He would not have that happen. He put the pistol to his head and squeezed the trigger. Brick smiled at the captain's corpse. Silly bastard, did he not know how many free drinks a war hero could get back in Atlas. He shrugged. More for him.


	5. A life of adventure and wonder

"A Life of Adventure and Wonder"

Periwinkle Jay Mae was a rather strange young man. He did not see the world in black and whites, or even greys. Instead, he saw a world of color, vibrant and beautiful. He heard a music no one else could hear. Intsead of walk, he would dance where he needed to go. Nothing brought him down. When given bad news he would smile, and shrug, and say 'It could always get worse'. He was the grandson of war veteran/mercenary Brick DeMarco, and he couldn't be any more different. Where Brick would pick up a weapon to kill others with, Peri would instead play music or sing a song and dance with them. Where Brick reveled in the pain and death of others, Peri would seek to sooth their souls with beautiful lyrics and a happy spirit. If Brick were death made manifest, then Peri was life. And he loved it. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that is true, what does it say about Peri's clear, bright, and shiny orange eyes? Orange eyes and periwinkle blue hair mixed with a self proclaimed 'bigger-than-life on top of a mountain' personality with an attitude to match and the great enjoyment of hitting people with a stick, Periwinkle Jay Mae was one of a kind.

Peri was walking along a mainstreet in Vale, dancing to a tune only he could hear, when he spotted his partner, Gwendolyn Darling. He smiled. "Hey Gwen, want to go flying?". Gwen looks up at him from her bowl of ice cream. "Why?" she asked. His reply was a smile and a simple " _Why not_?". He loved the little looks of annoyance on her face. To him, they were signs that he was doing something right. Not that his goal was to annoy his partner, but she was just far to **serious.** Like, to an almost creepy level. And when she looked as annoyed as that he knew she was secretely having fun. She was 15, she shouldn't need to be poked and prodded into doing something fun. Afterall, she was even better a musician than he was. Where he had learned to play the guitar and saxophone, she had learned how to play the guitar, drums, piano, and flute. He hadn't heard her sing though. Last time he had asked, she had threatened him with her weapon, Children's Dream, a musket/monk's staff with a blow gun attached to it. It fired a tungstun ball nearly an inch and a half wide. Not something he wanted used on him. He smiled as he looked at her. If she ever sang for him, he knew he would propose to her there and then. Moira, her grandmother, had given him her rings for when he did. After all, ever since the first day they'd met they had been inseperable.

"Hey Gwen, want to go flying?". "Why?". "Why _not_?". This conversation and many like it were the focus of of one Gwendolyn Darling's thoughts. She could not for the life of her figure out when she had started to fall for her partner. He was brash, rude, arrogant, a trouble maker and ruffian in every sense of the word, and worse still, he was _proud of it_. Like running from the police on a near daily basis was a thing of pride rather than shame. Her idea of fun was relaxing with a good book or going for a walk. His idea of fun was to play 'tag' with the local police or mafia. Or an impromptu concert being played on some random persons roof. She could not count the times they had been chased off by someone in the middle of the night because Peri decided to start playing his saxophone while running on the rooftops. Oh how she loathed being dragged into the police headquarters for 'disturbing the peace'. Every time it happened she would yell at him and all he would do is smile back at her and say "But you had fun, right?". Damn him. She _had_ had fun. How annoying. Starting fights, breaking things, stealing, getting involved in other peoples problems. It never ended. Before she had met him she was a most wonderful child. Obediant, helpful, quiet, studious. Why, before she met Periwinkle Jay May, she had been adored by everyone. She was well on her way toward earning a scholarship to any music school she desired. By the age of eight she had already sold a song. By ten, she had been offered her first scholarship. All gone now. It's not that she would have wanted to do nothing but play music for the rest of her life, but it was an option, and a comfortable one at that. Then she met him. A scraggely boy her own age with a gap-toothed grin and a devil-may-care attitude. He had been thrown, quite literally, into her. She had been practicing her piano music when she heard her grandmother yelling at someone outside. She had gotten up to see what the commotion was and had just turned the corner to look out the door when a boy hit her. They were both knocked flat from the impact and Gwen could vaguely hear her grandmother yelling at someone who seemed to laughing at her. Ever since that day she was leary of Peri's grandfather and his casual abuse of his grandson. Peri on the other hand, took it all in stride when his grandfather left him with them. He kept her company while her grandmother was out on jobs and played music with her. Despite his attitude, she had to admit that he was fairly talented with his saxophone. He also helped her keep her skills up with her weapon, Children's Dream. Practice was never boring, either with instruments or with weapons, because Peri never did anything the same. Whatever he would do, he would do it his way. Gwen looked up as the voice of the focus of her thoughts drew her attention. "So, you care to fly for a bit, yeah? See the world, maybe have an adventure? Live a life of adventure and wonder, sound good, yeah?". Peri Mae, self described big as a mountain and larger than life, was standing before her, hand outstretched, waiting for her to reach out and take it. "You know what Peri Mae" said Gwen after a second, "sure. To a lifetime of adventure and wonder". He took her hand and pulled her up, smile growing wider when she smiled back. "To adventure and wonder it is than".


	6. Laughing in the face of the world

"Laughing in the face of the world"

"Peri, don't do it" said Gwen, voice expressing her annoyance. "Heh, oh love, how could I not?" replied her partner with a grin as he jumped from the rooftop the pair had been eating ice cream on. Only a minute ago Gwen had happily been eating pecan ice cream and minding her own business, her partner beside her with a bowl of mint chocolate chip. They're peaceful snack had been interrupted by gunfire and yelling coming from the alley below them, a dozen men with automatic weapons bursting out of the back of their hideout trying to escape something. That something came in the form of a pale young man in a grey three piece suit. Not overly tall and quite skinny, he nonetheless terrified the armed men. He spoke quietly, saying something that Gwen could not hear, before walking towards the men, dozens of cards coming out of his suit as he did. The men panicked, all of them firing at him as he rushed them, a pair of balisongs in his hands. Peri laughed at the sight. "Lookit Gwen! Oh this is fun, let's go down and join them!". Gwen sighed and shook her head. "It's not our fight Peri. Let it go". Her partner was by then picking up his 'Whacky Stick' and taking a few practice swings with it. "Peri, don't do it". And thus we are caught up, as Peri landed on top of one of the men below. Gwen sighed. Those men were members of the local mafia, this group being enforcers whose job only required them to be unpleasant to anyone they were told to be unpleasant with. She sighed, picking up her weapon, a .75 caliber musket that doubled as a khakkhara, or monk's staff, called 'Children's Dream'. Taking aim, she fired, destroying the weapon of a man aiming at her partner, along with three of his fingers. Peri took advantage by hitting him in the face with Whacky Stick, knocking him out. He laughed as he joined the fray, striking at any of the men he could as he bounced around.

The grey man was actually taking the greatest toll on the gangsters. Between his cards, his knives, and his martial arts, he had already dropped four of them. Well, five now. No way was that guy waking anytime soon. She ducked down as some cocky punk fired at her. How rude. Her next shot dropped him like a bag of sand. Peri's laughter could be heard more easily now that fewer weapons were firing. Two of the men saw their dwindling chances and sought to flee, throwing down their weapons and running. The grey man would have none of that however, judging by how quickly they fell, gashes in the back of their legs. Hamstrung, not fun. She looked back at the fight in time to see Peri hit the final goon between the eyes, his Whacky Stick making a very loud 'thunk' in the now quiet alley. The grey man turned and spoke into his scroll while Peri went around collecting hats. 'Him and his hobbies' Gwen thought. Guessing the man was not an enemy to them, and with the ice cream long melted, Gwen hopped down to the alley, her semblance, the ability to fly, allowing her to land without harm. "Hey Gwen! Lookit! I got some new hats!" Peri shouted. She sighed and looked to the grey man. "My name is Gwendolyn Darling and that is Periwinkle Jay Mae. Would you tell us your name?". The grey man looked at them for a moment before extending his hand for a shake. "Lucius Rook, Vale Intelligence and Huntsman in training. My thanks for the assistance". Gwen politely shook his hand before Peri grasped it, shaking it and waving at their groaning opponents. "Oh hey, hi, good to meetchya yeah. So what you thumpin these softheads for yeah? They owe you money?". After getting his hand back from an enthusiastic Peri, Lucius shook his head. "These men were involved in a robbery lately. They stole weapons and ammunition from an armory, then used those weapons against one of their rivals. They are going to jail for that". One of the goons tried to spit at them, mostly just drooling on himself. "I won't do a day copper. None of us will". Lucius looked at the man for a moment before bringing a picture up on his scroll and showing it to him. "Is this your boss?". At the man's nod, Lucius nodded as well. "He was found this morning. He had been injected with a cocktail. He had murdered his own guards before using a knife on himself". Police sirens could be heard approaching in the distance. "My condolences, but you WILL be going to jail". He turned to Peri and Gwen. "Better leave now, otherwise you would need to come with us for questioning as well". Peri smirked, gave him a two fingered salute, and hopped back up to the rooftop. Gwen sighed and followed, mumbling about not even getting paid and Peri's stupid hats. Peri didn't care. Any chance to knock heads was alright by him. He laughed as he ran across the rooftops, Gwen following quietly behind him. "That was great yeah! Got to knock heads, got new hats for me collection, and hey! We made a new friend Gwennie!". Gwen growled at the nickname, though it only caused Peri to laugh even louder.


	7. Creed helping

Near maniacal giggling was all he could hear. Unable to see, he reflected on how he had gotten here. He had been looking for another victim from among the whores, same as any other night. He had tortured and killed six girls so far, even kept their heads to prove it. With a shake of his head he dispelled the fog over his memories. There was a girl. White haired, tan skin, rabbit faunus. Good build, so she couldn't have been a whore for long. He had smirked and called her over, offering her plently of money to get into his truck. After that, nothing. He was unable to see, to move, or even able to talk. With a slap, his attention was focused frontward. "Oh my dear...*tut, tut* You have been a very naughty boy. Oh my yes. You have been doing such awful things to those nice young girls. Such sweet girls". He heard footsteps walking away from him, the sound of glass moving, and then footsteps again. "Oh this will never do. Let's see those pretty eyes of yours". Roughly, the blindfold was removed from his eyes. That rabbit faunus was in front of him next to six round things covered in cloth, holding the blindfold. He struggled again, again failing to move. He tried to look down, but his face and head were held in position. Straps and steel held him in place. With a glare he spit at the faunus, missing her. She giggled quietly. "Is our big boy ready for his punishment?". "Burn in hell faunus filth!". Creed rolled her eyes and sat across his lap, her legs going over one side. "Now see, that was just rude. Do you know what is going to happen to you Mister Bad Man?". The man tried to spit again, but this time Creed put her hand over his mouth. "No. Bad manners get punishment. Since you don't seem to plan to ask, I'm going to tell you. You are going to die. How that happens is up to you. Continue being rude and It will take a while. Be polite and nice, and I will simply put you to sleep. Do you understand?". After a moment the man slowly nodded. "Good boy. Now, why did you hurt my friends?". She removed her hand from his mouth and he slowly stretched it. "Because you whores are easy targets. Cops don't care about you, and unless you belong to someone than the crooks don't care about you either". Creed frowned. "I care about the working girls". "So? Who are you? Just another sinful whore who got lucky. I've killed a half dozen of you already. I even have one at home waiting for me". The man froze when Creed looked into his eyes. "Where?" she asked quietly. The man stared into those red eyes, eyes that would look better on a demon than a young woman. He quickly gave her the address and how to get in without setting off the traps. Creed got up and walked away, calling someone on a scroll. She told them what she had been told and hung up. A half hour later she was called back. She seemed to sag in relief. She walked back over to the man and sat in his lap again. "She's alright. Thank you for telling me. Did you still want the quick death?". The man began to cry and silently nodded. Creed leaned up and kissed his forehead, eliciting a quiet gasp from him. Creed got off and and got out a syringe. She injected the contents into his arm. "Will...will it hurt?". Creed's face softened and she reached out, taking his hand. "A little. It's not the best stuff for the job, but it will be quick, and I'll stay with you when it happens". The man smiled slightly, grasping her hand tightly. She untied his head, shoulders, and one arm before getting back into his lap. She pulled the arm across her body and pulled his head down to lay against the top of her breast. Quietly, she began to sing a lullaby for the man as she ran her fingers through his hair and rubbed his back. Soon, the man's breathing became softer and softer until it finally stopped all together. Creed still sang for him for another twenty minutes as tears ran down her face.


	8. Peri and Pera with their mother

Peri took his sister's hand and pulled her towards the closet, not answering the confused look on her face as he pulled her away from her pizza. "Is mommy back?" she asked nervously. Peri only nodded, Pera finally understanding the need for quiet as they hurried to get into the closet. When mommy came home they were to be out of sight so that none of the big men she brought would think she had children. They hadn't understood at first, but after the third beating it didn't matter. When mommy came home it was time to hide.

Peri shut the closet door behind them and quickly hid in the corner. He got Pera in the corner first, that way he could hide her if the door was opened. Pera lifted her finger to her lips and mimed shushing him as they heard their mother's voice followed by the heavy tread of her latest man. Peri breathed as quietly as he could, not wanting to be found. Pera regretted leaving her pizza, but figured it didn't matter now. Now was time for hiding, and the pizza would only attract the big mouses again. She held her breath as she heard something metal, a belt buckle if she were to guess, fall to the floor with a thud, soon followed by other sounds and quiet slapping.

Peri could feel his sister shaking. He did what he could to comfort her, but he was shaking to. This was the worst part. If Mister John wasn't happy, or mommy wasn't happy, then there would be yelling and screaming and mommy wouldn't be happy when she saw them again. If everyone was happy then Mister John would leave and mommy would tell them to clean up the house and call them worthless brats and gutter trash. Pera was silently crying, wishing for Mister John to leave and for mommy to go back outside so that she and her brother could go back to their supper.

Outside the room the slapping noise stopped and they could hear talking. The talking stopped and then they heard crying and mommy saying something, her voice getting louder and louder. Pera and Peri jumped in fright as they heard their mother start screaming. This wasn't her usual yelling. This was mommy screaming like when Miss Peachbottom from two doors down didn't give the scary man who followed mommy enough money. Pera looked around in the nearly black closet before finding a ratty sheet. She took the sheet and covered her and Peri with it so that they would be harder to see if someone opened the door.

The twins stayed in the closet even long after the screaming stopped and the door leading into the hallway shut. A couple hours after that they heard the front door being opened again and more yelling. The scary man's voice could be heard, as well as some of the pretty ladies from the other rooms. Neither Pera or Peri wanted the scary man to find them so they just stayed in the closet. The scary man and the ladies eventually left but people they didn't know the footsteps or voices of kept coming in and out of mommy's room. They heard something really loud in the bathroom that took a long time to stop and hurt their ears before everything was quiet again and the lights were shut off. By then, Pera and Peri were to tired to leave the closet and just slept in each others arms.

They stayed in that closet for two days without food or water. Their stomachs were growling and they felt weak, Pera's pizza being her first food and two days before they even entered the closet. Peri was worse off since he hadn't even gotten his slice. The twins were awoken by the front door being opened and someone heavy walking in to their mom's room. The scary man's voice could be heard yelling before a loud crack and the sound of something falling was heard. 

Brick looked around the mother of his grandchildren's room. Dumb whore had gone and gotten herself killed, cut up and strangled by some whacko with a fetish for cutting women. He scoffed at the crap clean up job her pimp had tried to do. Blood stains were all over the place and the fool had used a chainsaw on her in the tub. Dumbass had cut through it into the floor. Brick smiled as he looked around the room. "Now... if I were brats who didn't want to be found, where would I be...". He rolled his eyes and started towards the closet when the pimp came in and started yelling at him. Brick looked at the idiot with a grin. The pimp might have tried to be intimidating, but he was anything but when compared to Brick's 7'3 and 450lbs of honed muscle and bone. "Get the hell out of here old man! Your girl's dead and her brat kids have run off somewhere, either way, it's not my problem. My problem is that I need this room ready for the next girl, and I have some old bastard stinking it up!". The pimp pointed a shot gun at Brick's face. "Now get the hell out!".

Brick laughed quietly before walking by the pimp. "Oh of course. As you say". As the fool nodded Brick reached out, and easy as new born kittens, crushed the pimp's neck. He dropped like a sack of grain as Brick turned back around and opened the closet door, revealing a pair of dirty and malnourished children. "Let's go. You're with me now". The children shook to his amusement, nearly falling when they saw the dead pimp. "It's a body. Everyone has one. Now take a drink of water and grab something to eat, we're leaving". The twins hurried to obey, quickly drinking some flat soda that had been left out and each gobbling down old pizza, for the most part avoiding the mold on it.

The twins followed Brick out to his motorcycle where he stuffed them each into a saddlebag and drove off. He knew just the person to take these brats off his hands without a fuss...


	9. Moira's war

Moira smiled. No worries, no fears. Just the open skies and the clouds beneath her feet. She was free up here, flying in a clear blue sky, passing over four hundred miles an hour over a mountain range far below. She sat in the cockpit of her top of the line fighter plane, straight off the assembly lines of Atlas, shipped straight to the front for use in putting down the revolution. The thought of **why** she was currently hundreds of feet above the ground soured her mood. As a cat faunus, she sympathized with them, she truly did. The problem was that her family was living in the Atlesian colonies. And that problem meant that she was flying for the Atlesian military, flying for the people who wanted hers to live in chains.

The damnable conflict had been ongoing for two years now. She had been fighting in it for close to a year now. Fifty one enemy planes downed. Three commendations. Two medals for heroism. She had been promoted to First Lieutenant and given a squadron to lead into battle. She was given drinks by an entire company of Atlesian Foot Mobile for covering their retreat during a botched assault. That brought her smile back. Atlesian brandy was something that she had grown quite fond of during the war. It brought her wamth when this war left her cold. She had lost friends, made others. Celebrated and commiserated. Such and such and such and such. She smirked as she had greater problems on the horizon.

Seven Menagerie bi-planes were incoming from the south east from five hundred feet below. Moira grinned and waved her arm forward, signaling her squadron to follow her to attack the enemy. As one the planes banked towards the seemingly oblivious Menagerie pilots. Moira flipped her safetys off and charged her weapons. She liked her new plane. Her old one was powerful and well armored but had only two machine guns. This one had four machine guns, four rockets, and if she wished it bombs could be loaded up before take off. Sacrificing a little armor for speed and power worked for her.

Moira's plane shuddered as its wrath was unleashed on the last plane in the oppositions formations, the wood and canvas body of the plane shredded to pieces as the unfortunate pilot fell. She didn't see if he used a parachute or not as she had pulled up in order to make another pass. She needn't have bothered. Her boys knew their job. All that remained of the opposition were burning wrecks, falling from the sky. She smiled and waved her boys onward. They were to do several strafing runs for an offensive. The good boys and girls from Menagerie had decided to make life as unpleasant as possible for the Atlesian troops in the southern city of Candle. While normally a quiet town where an artist could make a living performing in the streets, the war had turned it into a mausoleum for the dead and dying. Those sent to fight there looked like men sent to their execution. One in seven dead. One in three wounded. One young lad she knew who had lied about his age in order to join the army was going to return to his mother without a face or arms. Her heart broke when she saw the lump of meat of a boy who wanted to become a movie actor someday. Another soldier stricken with combat fatigue took pity on the lad and smothered him with a pillow in his sleep. Said it reminded him of the faces in the trench walls that begged for death. To make matters worse, Atlas was no longer paying the life insurance policies of it's troops. To much money to pay crying mothers whose only comfort would now be a folded flag it seemed...

Moira adjusted her heading as they came within twenty miles of the front. Their report had read that enemy fighters were coming in from the east of the town, Atlasian from the west. Since shooting in the town would kill to many of their own troops and not enough of the enemies, command had ordered her squadron to strafe a railroad that was being used to ferry fresh troops into the fight. If they could do that, they might be able to slow reinforcements enough to give the Atlesians a fighting chance to push them out of the city altogether. They were to prioritize heavy weapons, troop carriers, vehicles, and the train engine itself. If they could block or destroy the rails then the resistance would have to repair them or find a different way in, either of which would take time.

Banking left towards the outskirts of the city, Moira led her squadron on a heading that would take them closer to the railyards, but hopefully without coming underfire from the rooftops. She adjusted her goggles quickly as she heard the crack of rifle fire far below. Chances of them hitting her were low, but chances of the AA guns firing soon were increasing. She throttled up, her plane going into a shallow dive to put on speed. Her squadron followed her lead as the anti-air fire began. One of her boys was hit, his plane tumbling out of the skies as it crumbled around him. She grit her teeth at his loss, but continued on her path. They soon passed the storm of gunfire and headed out over the plains surrounding the city. The rails themselves were easy to destroy with their bombs, even more so once they fired on the train delivering fresh troops to the front. The engine itself blow apart under their guns, and several cars were damaged enough as to disentegrate and disconnect, becoming even more crushed and damaging the following cars. As Moira and her squadron flew away it was to the sound of screams.

The flight back was worse though. With the AA guns now ready for them, losses were worse. Moira cursed quietly as she tried to see through the smoke from her engine. Two bullets had seen to it that she wasn't going to be making it back to base, though at least she could see two of her boys make it past the guns. She controlled her decent as well as she could, crashing down hard in what was once a marketplace. She threw off her googles and fell out of her plane, vomiting her breakfast out on the cobblestones. Reaching into the cockpit, she weakly fumbled around for a moment before pulling her weapon out. Most pilots could only fit a pistol, however she had made enough room for a cut down carbine. Pulling it out, she got her bearings before struggling to her feet and wandering off into the burning ruins of the city. She needed to get back to Atlesian lines before the others caught up, though if worse came to worse, she could switch uniforms and hide among the faunus...


	10. Creed is fine

Creed just stood there. She wasn't doing anything else, just standing around... in a courtroom... where she was on trial for the attempted murder of her teammates. She was sure that she should be paying attention to what was going on around her, but what was the point? Her friends were gone. Sure, they weren't dead, but which was worse? Death, or laying in a bed because your brain can make your body breathe and mess all over yourself and that's it? Because the second option sure wasn't living. Oh well. It didn't matter anyway. They were going to find her guilty. She could already see it in their eyes. She was nothing. No one. For them, a traitor who deserved to die at best. At worst, just a name on a paper. They write guilty down to go home faster.

Maybe they'll have supper waiting. Mashed potatoes and meatballs with gravy, maybe a nice steak or a salad if they're trying to eat healthy. Either way... She didn't matter to them. To any of them. The only person who might believe her wasn't there, and to everyone else she was just traitorous whore, someone who slept around, did drugs, and apparently, poisoned her teammates. They weren't even calling them her friends... Not even surprised. Maybe when she got back to her cell she would save them the trouble of executing her. She had not been given much, just a bucket and a stool. Even a bed was denied her. Didn't matter. She could bite off her tongue, maybe crack her head open like an egg. She looked down and saw her hand shaking. Creed took a few deep breaths while the prosecution prattled on about her deviant behavior. Oh yes civilian man, assume that sending children to fight the monsters would have no mental repercussions at all. Let's forget the orphanage. The beatings, the rapes, having to kill... Let's forget how she had learned to enjoy hurting others, and how she enjoyed hurting herself. How she had been trying to make a better life for herself and get away from that life.

Creed took another deep breath. It would inconvenience everyone if she started crying. Couldn't have that. After all, they were only talking about killing her, why should she be rude by bursting into tears? It's not like she might want to live. Maybe be happy. Maybe make someone else happy? They only ever focused on that she smiled when she hurt herself. They never asked why, only assuming that she enjoyed it. They never... they never... it... it was to much. Creed reached out and touched the shoulder of her 'lawyer', though she used the term loosely. He turned to her, looking bored as he had the whole time.

"What?". 

"Could I be excused?".

"Why? You going to cry or something? Something wrong?".

Creed lowered her arm at his disdainful sneer. "No, never mind". She wasn't even a person to this man, just something that was sitting next to him while he had to stay rather than be at home with his dinner. She... she was alone, in a room full of people. And no one cared. So she smiled. She smiled, and her tears were gone, and she looked happy and proud to be there.

Nothing was wrong. After all, Creed was fine. 

*Author's Note*

I am not much of a writer, as I'm sure you can figure out by now. I am however an attempt at an anthology and it will not be in chronological order, as I'm sure you know if you've read up to this point. I don't really have much else to say, but if you're still interested in my story, thank you, and you have any tips or suggestions please let me know.


	11. Corbin and Lucius

"Ha! Not even close! Maybe next time I could slow down for ya, maybe make you some cupcakes or something!". Corbin ducked the returning blow from his opponents staff before being knocked away by their follow up from the opposite end. "Okay, no cupcakes". Corbin stood, and groaned. Loremaster had ordered his twin and him to go for a walk. Mostly to stop some bandits who thought the desert would make a nice hide out where they could strike from. They had been attacked immediately once they were seen, gun fire narrowly missing them while Lucius had used his cards to shield them. It didn't help matters when Lucius was telling them to surrender or die. Soon after his grand proclamation reinforcements had shown up... for the bandits. A follower of the Aspect of the Cleansing Flame and another trianed in their ways would have been enough for the reported dozen bandits. The two and a half that were actually there were a bit harder. He and Lucius had gotten separated a while ago and he hadn't seen him since. He had personally beat three, not bad seeing how well they covered each other. At least some of them had been trained somewhere. Atlas, judging by the flashy guns some of them were using. Annoying.

Corbin sighed sighed as he looked around. He could only see eight of the bandits, which meant the other twenty-two were after his brother. Not cool. "Okay, tell you what. I will make the cupcakes, AND get you each a fresh fish and bottle of soda if you guys lay down your weapons and come back with us peacefully, but only because your pretty. What do you guys say?". ...Judging by their laughter, he didn't think they were planning on taking him up on his offer. "Yeah, I figured as much. Guess that just means that we're going to have to stomp all of you guys. To bad, I was hoping to party with some of you". Corbin held his hands up as some of the bandits approached. "Now I know what you're thinking: There are eight of us, and only one of him. Well, don't worry. I have enough stamina for everyone". The approaching bandits stopped and laughed at him, holstering their weapons. Corbin's eyebrow raised and he smiled. "Good start. Now we can be friends, yes?".

The nearest bandit smiled at him through rancid teeth and pointed behind him and above. "Nine, man of faith". The shot that hit him was the last thing that Corbin felt before his face hit the sand. "Take him to the fire. We will dine well tonight". 

Lucius dodged several stabs and deflected two more shots at his head. He was getting annoyed with this. Stab stab, block block. Repetitive. If he wanted that, he would have stayed at the monestary. Two knocked out bandits were bleeding about twenty feet from him. The rest had closed ranks and wouldn't give him a chance to get close and kept firing enough to keep from using his cards to attack. He sighed. "Where are you Corbin?" he mumbled, narrowly dodging a rifle bullet.

Deciding he wanted to know as well, one of the bandits called the first group to find out their status. He grinned and waved at the shooters to stop firing. "Listen well man of faith, for this is your only chance to walk away. The other man is defeated. He will stay. He will die and feed us for days. However, if you leave now, walk away and tell others of your defeat, we will spare you. No harm will come to you man of faith. What do you say?".

Lucius's cards returned to him, slowly floating around him as he appeared to mull over the choice. "Leave my brother to be eaten by cannibals, or die like him and meet the same fate... Do you remember what I said to you earlier? When you first attacked us?".

The bandit laughed. "Do you really think-". 

Sometime later Corbin awoke with a splitting headache and sore hands. He looked at them and realised they must have been bound very tightly to hurt that much. He groaned and clutched his head, feeling a lump about half the size of his fist forming there. Looking around, he saw that was alone next to a small fire. Looking to the cave entrance the bandits had been using as a hideout, he saw a second glow from a torch inside. Corbin stood and slowly walked inside to see what was going on.

Lucius was kneeling with his hands in a bucket of water. Corbin laughed quietly until he got closer. His brother was COVERED in blood and other things he did not know. Corbin ran as quickly (shuffled) as he could to him. "Lucius! Lucius! Brother, what happened? Where are you injured?". Lucius breathed out and slowly looked up at Corbin. "I'm not". Corbin looked at him in confusion. "Dude, you're drenched in blood. What happened?".

Lucius sighed once more and went back to washing up. "They did not surrender brother".

Corbin was now even more confused, not seeing his point. "So? They attacked us, of course they weren't going to surrender".

Lucius looked up once more. The look in his eyes... Corbin took a step back. "Th...they're dead?".

Lucius nodded and turned back to cleaning up. "All of them".

"But... but that doesn't make any sense. If you killed a couple then the rest would have surely surrendered".

Once more, Lucius nodded. "They tried. They had their chance. When they spoke of eating you, that chance ended".

Corbin swallowed and slowly backed out of the cave. "Al-alright brother. I'll... I'll be out here... alone... with the corpses".

Lucius simply went back to cleaning himself up. He tossed the now red water out of the pot he had been using and refilled it. Judging from how wide the wet spot in the sand was, this was not the first time the water had been changed.

As quickly as he could, Corbin got away from the cave. He loved his twin, he did, but when he was angry... he scared him. Corbin decided it would be best to find the dead bandits. The least they could do before leaving them to the voltures and the Wastes would be to say a prayer for them.

Saying a prayer for them was easier said then done. Not because the bodies were hard to find, no, but because it was hard to find big enough pieces to pray over. He knew his brother, and he knew his weapons. Lucius didn't simply kill these bandits. He shaved them to death. No big cuts could be seen, simply thin and tiny pieces. Shaving them... cutting a small bit off of them, bit by bit. The thirty bandits had been spread across nearly two hundred feet. He could see where some tried to run, where some prayed. Where... where some died. He loved his brother, he did, but he was terrified of him and his anger.


	12. Alice and Creed at the maid cafe

Alice hummed happily to herself. Today was a good day! Master was coming to see her! Her smile became even wider and her fingers went up to play with the metal ring on her collar. She would get to serve Master his meal today, and it made her happy! 'Then again', she thought as she looked around. 'I get to serve everyone today'.

Creed had needed a little extra money for a project she was doing and had asked her if she could help her out. Alice had done some digging and had been able to get them both a job for a couple of days at a maid cafe as waittresses. All they had to do was dress as maids, something Creed did anyway, and act flirty or happy to serve the customers. Alice had gotten a second job here, one as a food tray. All she had to do was allow people to eat food off of her anyway they liked, the only stipulation being that nothing could go inside of her. It was a good enough job, paid well to, and now that she knows that Master will be here today it was PERFECT! Creed had smiled and winked at her when she had told her that Master would be here for lunch. Creed was even willing to help her. Alice would be Master's food tray and Creed would be his waitress. Everything would be perfect for her Master! She just had to get past the butt pinching and roving hands of the dirty old men she had to serve until then...

Creed did nothing to hide her grin from Lucius as he sighed and sat down. She had invited him in to the cafe for lunch and he had shown up right on time. What she hadn't told him was that it was a maid cafe that had girls in skimpy bikini bottoms and nothing else serve as food trays. "Welcome Master to our cafe. What may this one do for you?". Lucius rubbed the bridge of his nose before looking at Creed. "What are your specials?", he said with a sigh. Creed flashed him a dazzling smile. "Blackened salmon on a cedar plank served with grilled potatoes covered in a tasty parmesan butter with garlice, or a sushi meal, served with extra care. For you Master, I would suggest both". Lucius looked at the price, then back up at Creed's smiling face. "Why?". Creed giggled and leaned down, giving Lucius an eyeful of whatever he wanted to look at, at the gentleman behind her of her thong covered bottom. "Because you will like the salmon, and love the sushi". After a moment Lucius sighed again and handed her the menu. "Fine", he said. "The salmon and sushi bar with black coffee. You better be right about it". Creed giggled and bowed before hurrying away to turn in his order. When Alice saw her grin she broke into a wide grin. "Master is here?", she asked with hopefully. When Creed nodded and showed her the order Alice had to control herself from squeling and screaming in joy. Instead, she allowed Creed to put in the order and went to get dressed.

Lucius sat for a short while before his table was cleared by several maids and two men brought out a large platter with... he blinked. Alice. Alice, topless, wearing only a tiny black thong, covered in sushi rolls. He looked down at her as she was laid in front of him. "Hello my dear" he said, not wanting anyone to know who she was. "Hello Master!" she gleefully replied. He shook his head and picked up a pair of chopsticks. "Was this your idea or our friend's?". "It was mine Master. I wanted to serve you, and this way lets me spend more time with you". Lucius nodded and began to eat. He nodded at the taste. It was actually quite good, no surprise considering the price. He continued to eat for a little while before Creed walked up to his table, a grin on her face as she lay the salmon on the table next to his coffee. "And here is the salmon you ordered Master. Will that be all?". Lucius nodded to her and continued to eat off of Alice, though when he looked back up Creed was still standing in front of him with a wide smirk on her face. "Was there anything else?" he asked, beginning to feel like he was missing something. Creed happily sat next to him. "Yes. I'm here to feed you Master".

Lucius looked at her in mild disbelief. "...What?". Alice giggled at him. "The sushi bar is an almost naked maid and the blackened salmon is fed to you by a maid. Creed is here to feed you Master". Lucius sighed. They had him, and now he had to live with it. He briefly considered sending Creed away, but instead mentally shrugged and physically nodded. "Very well. You may stay".


	13. A smile can brighten the world

A smile can brighten the world

"Master, there are shadows moving across the dunes..." a young Lucius said to his master. "I know young Lucius. Those are Dune Witches. A type of grimm you'll not find anywhere else in the world than our Ash Wastes". Lucius looked up at the venerable Loremaster while Corbin kept watch. "What is so special about it sir?". Loremaster stretched and rubbed his hands together. "They are unique in that they are more humanoid than other grimm. They can mimic human activity, their skin allows them to appear as not but a mirage to the untrained eye, and the elder ones can even speak after a sorts". Lucius' eyes widened and her turned back towards the dune. The shadow remained, though it slowly crawled away, a quiet song upon the wind as a goodbye. "The worst though are the ones that can take on the face of those it has killed. Many a warrior has been lured in by a crying woman, weeping over her dead child, only to be killed when she turns and sinks her teeth in their throat...".

Lucius looked up at Loremaster as he went silent, his eyes looking far off into the distance. Whatever he was thinking...Lucius hoped never to experience. He was jarred from his thoughts by a laugh and a rough elbow to the ribs. "Cheer up brother. Don't worry about sneaky sneaks. If life starts to get you down, and you feel like wearing a big frown" Corbin said as he hopped up on a rock. "Just give a little smile, if only for a little while. Then all the bad things will go away! True, they may come back another day, but hey, look on the bright side, at least they made you smile!". Lucius listened to his brother beginning to sing and turned his head, not letting him see his smile or hear his quiet laughter.


	14. Seven Rings

He shook. Not in fear, nor in pain, though he felt none of the first and much of the second. No, Lucius was shaking in anger, rage, HATRED, at the beasts before him. Cruel creatures of black and white, their devilish red eyes glaring back at him. He didn't care. They had killed his twin, the only one to ever truly understand him. His best friend and partner lay dead in pieces, his twin torn apart before his eyes, and the monstorous Dune Witch had impaled him on her hand. Others would have seen their life flashing before their eyes before dying. Lucius so no life, only death. 

With a roar he focused all his pain, all his hatred, all his sorrow into his cards. Like an explosion, they tore from their holsters, shredding his jacket and shirt, and the beast impaling him. It never even made it to confusion before it's life was snuffed out, nearly two thousand cards swirling around Lucius in a grand display of his power. With a second roar the cards flew forward, slicing the grimm like a hot knife through butter. Whatever resistance they put up meant nothing, his cards either cutting through or going around anything that saught to stop him killing these creatures.

Hundreds of Grimm were slaughtered, many before they could even figth back. Those who charged forward were cut to ribbons, their limbless bodies falling to the ground. Those with ranged attacks met with as much success, their attacks blocked, deflected, or outright destroyed by the vengeful card weilder. Even those that tried to run were given no mercy, hamstrung and left to crawl as they were trampled by their fellows. 

Lucius knew only pain and anger. His nose was leaking blood at a worrying pace and his vision was blurry. He wasn't sure if it was from his injuries or because using so many cards at once caused a brain aneurysm. Probably the second, if the burning sensation in his head was a symptom. It didn't matter. He was always ready to die, but if it meant he could kill these monsters, then it was worth the price. They would PAY for what they had done. Not one would escape. NOT ONE!

It was nearly an hour later that Lucius slowly opened the small door of the vault. The front was a massive, fourteen foot thick door that was sealed to keep the population safe. The small door was on the back of the mountain and was only ten feet tall and ten feet wide. Small enough and easy to defend, he had sent Team PIKE to defend it as the larger front gate was protected by Team RROS. In his pain addled mind, he thought little of how the door was ajar despite supposedly being sealed. He thought little of how the inside was in disarray. It wasn't until he turned a corner and witnessed the after effects of Grimm in tight spaces against civilains that realization hit him. So many were dead. So much blood. He couldn't even identify who was dead since everyone was torn to pieces. He limped as quickly as he could further into the vault, searching for someone, anyone, who might still be alive. As he walked farther in, the blood became deeper. He was practically wading in it, the blood of his family, of his friends, everyone he had known growing up. There, that was Miss Bluebelle's cornflorwer colored eyes, staring at him as he walked past. Mister Dorian's body, what was left of it at least, propped up in front of a mirror. He nearly vomited when he saw his mother's signature pink hair, the scalp across from what he guessed was her body. He hated himself for his dry eyes as he walked past her, walked past his father's corpse. His strong hands still holding the hammer he used to defend his family, even though they were no longer connected... 

He finally collapsed in the deepest room, the walk to much for his abused body and mind. His team was dead, his family was dead, his mission a failure, and he had no idea as to what happened to Team PIKE. Lucius rolled over and propped himself up against a wall so that he would not drown in the lifesblood of everything he held dear and closed his eyes, uncertain, and honestly, uncaring on if he would ever open them again.

When help finally arrived, they found Lucius Rook with his injuries bound, his fourteen year old sister by his side. She had lived, hiding herself inside of a storage locker while her family was being butchered. Always seemingly unsettling, Casper's lack of emotions saved her while everyone else around her died. The response team called them ghosts as they were taken out of there, loading the pair onto a bullhead to rush them to Atlas for treatment. On her way out, Casper stopped to pick up something that caught her eye. Her brother Corbin's weapon, Luce Spei, lying discarded and battered on the ground. She put it in carry mode and hid it in her dress as she boarded the bullhead, her calm demeanor being attributed to shock at the deaths of her family.


	15. Mandatory Therapy

Lucius walked into the therapist'ss office and sat down. "Hello Doctor".

The man nodded to Lucius. "Hello Mister Rook. Are you here for your mandatory mental evaluation?".

"Yes Doctor".

"Good. Then let us proceed. Is there anything you would like to tell me about?".

"No Doctor. Not at this time".

The therapist sighed. "Very well Mister Rook. Please tell me about the incident".

"I volunteered my team for a mission that wa to take place in Seven Rings. We were to find out why there were increasing numbers of Grimm in the area, and if possible, thin their numbers. I chose this mission due to my own and my twin's knowledge of the area, as well as using it as a chance to see our family. Due to the numbers involved, it was decided that we would take a second team and a Huntsman with us. The team we took with us was Team PIKE, the Huntsman was Doctor Oobleck of Beacon.

"Upon our arrival, I had Team PIKE patrol the surrounding area while my team surveyed the town for places to stay, where we could restock on our supplies, emergency preparations of the people, and what defenses were set up".

The therapist held his hand up for Lucius to pause. "If your family was nearby, why did you not stay with them? Were you not on good terms with them?".

Lucius's lips gave the slightest twitch, as though a ghost of a smile nearly appeared. "My family is... was, one of the most well respected in all of Seven Rings. Regardless, they owned a two bedroom shack. Each bedroom is eight feet by six and holds one cot. Simply put, we couldn't stay with them because of the size and room available. We ended up taking shifts in one of the emergency shelters. The door was siezed open and required a skilled repair, one that no one in Seven Rings could do".

"Oh. How large is your family Mister Rook?".

"It was five of us. Myself, identical twin Corbin, younger sister Casper, our mother Fusia, and father Fenn".

"Alright, thank you for clearing that up Mister Rook. Please proceed".

Lucius nodded and continued. "Doctor Oobleck and I spoke with the village leader about the Grimm threat. He told us that while the town had an agreement with the Schnee Dust Company to provide raw materials in exchange for patrols and a platoon of Atlesian, the bots had been destroyed by Grimm or rendered inert due to sand getting into their joints. They would have replacements brought in by the end of the next rotation, but until then the town would be nearly defenseless. That's why they sent for a Huntsman team".

The therapist nodded and wrote some things down on a piece of paper, not letting Lucius see. Lucius didn't look, instead taking a sip of his cup of coffee. "Alright Mister Rook. What happened afterwards?".

"My team went out past the patrol line provided by Team PIKE to gather information. Nothing happened for the first few days aside from my family unnerving team PIKE-".

The therapist held his hand up once more. "You family unnerved a Huntsman team?".

"Yes. I am considered unemotional, unexpressive, and stoic. I am occasionally found unfeeling or intimidating by others, even other students. My father is... was, an intimidating man. He was six feet tall and I have seen him crush marble blocks with his bare hands. The leader of Team PIKE, Fandango King, told me that his gaze felt like a mountain staring at him. When I asked for clarification, he said that was the best he could do. My sister as well, disturbed Team PIKE, even two members of my team".

"How so Mister Rook?".

"My sister lacked many basic human emotions. She has been described as being robot like and cold. That rumors of her being a witch were common did not help either".

The therapist laughed for a moment before realizing that Lucius had not made a joke. "Wait, you're serious?".

"Yes. Abilities run in my family. I can read my cards and my sister could read fortunes with her crystal ball. At the age of fifteen she was already living alone in a shack on the beach. She would have no visitors and made money reading fortunes at local fairs and selling fish".

"Oh, my apologies for laughing Mister Rook. Right, and what of your mother?".

"She was popular and well liked by both teams".

"...That's it? ...Okay, carry on then".

"Team RROS went out past the patrol line to check on the Grimm. They had gathered in very large numbers. No longer a herd, they were now a horde, beyond our ability to safely hunt. A powerful electric storm had formed while were gone and upon our return we were unable to call for support. As the fastest, I suggested Doctor Oobleck to go to the Northern Enclave of the Faith in Flame-".

Lucius frowned at the therapist interrupting him again, once more holding his hand up. "Who, or what, is that exactly?".

"The Northern Enclave of the Faith in Flame is a place known as Monastery. The faithful live and train there, and send patrols out to keep the area safe. Due to the small numbers and large tract of land they have to cover, patrols are sometimes far between. Due to this, two squads are kept at Monastery so that should a settlement need help they need only send a runner. We needed aid, so I gave Doctor Oobleck a map and sent him to get it".

"Why did you not go yourself? Surely knowing the area, you could have gotten there sooner".

"I considered it, but Doctor Oobleck is still faster and Monastery is hard to miss. He did arrive quickly and returned with reinforcements but it was a day to late by then".

The therapist wrote some more down before taking a drink of his tea. "Alright. Sorry for the interruption Mister Rook. Please continue".

Lucius nodded, taking another sip of coffee to collect his thoughts before continuing.

"The trip to Monastery takes a day and a half. On the second day the Grimm moved on us. Seven Rings has a massive bunker the population can hide in. It has two doors. The first is a large vault style door. Due to the bunker also being a storage area for raw materials between shipments, it is large enough for a dump truck to drive through. The second door is smaller and on the opposite side of the mountain. As leader, I sent Team PIKE to defend the smaller door as their weapons are better suited for close quarters. Team RROS set up to defend the vault door".

Lucius took another sip and the therapist took another note. "When the Grimm came we held out as best we could. I don't know how long the fight lasted, but it was a while. Eminence Orchid, my brother's partner and boyfriend, went down first. He was struck from behind and knocked down before being crushed. Sanguine fell second, detonating all her explosives as she was being devoured by a very large Grimm of unkown type. Corbin fell, torn a part by dozens of smaller grimm". Lucius looked at the therapist. "We call them Reap Wurms in Seven Rings. About two feet long, covered in spikes and with a mouth that opens in four directions with three sets of rotating teeth".

The therapist was noticably paler as he sipped his tea. "Is that what caused your injuries as well?".

Lucius shook his head. "No. A Dune Witch, humanoid like Grimm about the size of a Beowulf, put it's hand into my torso, just below my diaphragm. Before it could eviscerate me, I killed it and every other remaining Grimm".

"All by yourself? You killed all of them by yourself Mister Rook".

"I was angry by then. Before it had been about protecting the people. At that point, it was about killing everything Grimm I saw. Medical examinations later showed that I suffered a brain aneurysm from the strain of using my cards".

"Your cards Misster Rook?".

Lucius held his hand out and single card came out of his sleeve. "My main weapon when fighting Grimm is my cards. Through the use of Aura I can make them become hard as steel and razor sharp. My semblance allows me to control them however I like. While generally I use two hundred, that day I used two thousand".

"Y-yes, I suppose that is a bit much. Um... what happened next?".

"The vault door has no communication devices installed and so I had to go to the smaller door. Upon entering I found no evidence of Team PIKE. I later learned that they had chosen to flee rather than fight. An altercation happened when they were found out and the reinforced door did not seal properly when they shut it. The Grimm were able to get inside and killed nearly everyone. My sister was the only survivor, and she commited suicide with my brother's weapon when I awoke in the hospital".

The therapist held out a box of tissues to Lucius, expecting him to be crying. Lucius merely looked back at him. "Ah...r-right". The therapist set the box down and wrote a few more things on his paper. "How ah, how long were you inside the bunker?".

"One day. I lost cconsciousness several times. Doctor Oobleck returned with the Ash Rangers but by then everyone except Casper and I was already dead. She had wrapped my wounds as best she could and stayed by my side as we left".

A loud ringing sounded, making the therapist jump before turning off his alarm. "It seems that's all we have time for today Mister Rook. I will set you up an appointment with me again next week. In the mean time, you focus on healing, alright?".

Lucius nodded. "Very well. Will you be able to certify if I am able to return to active duty next time?".

The therapist nodded his head, but with a slight hesitation to it. "Y-yes Mister Rook. If I find you of sound mind and your health has improved, you will be able to return to active duty".

Lucius nodded and left. He needed to hurry. He had an appointment to change the bandages on his wounds. His stitches on several cuts would be coming out today as well. 

**************************************************************

After Luciuss had left, the therapist reached into his drawer and pulled out a bottle of whisky. His hand shook as he poured the drink into a glass. That young man... he could easily see why he unnerved others. He lost everyone and he sat and talked about it like it was nothing. If evidence to the contrary hadn't been provided, he would have suspected Lucius of being a sociopath. Looking down at his papers, he sighed and drank his whisky. "Twenty years old and he's seen so much death. He didn't even blink when he was talking of his twin being torn apart... What must go on in that head...". After some thought, the therapist poured himself another glass and signed his name on the paperwork he had been given. Lucius Rook would be cleared to continue his service, but was advised to be assigned to an 'expendable squad'. People the world would be better without, sent on suicide missions, kept away from serving beside other teams, and generally doing the dirty work the general populous must never find out about. The therapist downed his second drink as fast as his first, knowing that he had just signed off on that young man's fate.


	16. A dream of what might have been

A dream of what might have been.

Creed smiled as she cut the vegetables for dinner. They were expecting company, some old friends from they're Beacon days. Cutting the carrots and putting them into the strainer to be cleaned, she got out the cucumbers to prepare as well when she heard little feet running and felt a thump against her leg.

"Ow, mommy, your leg got in my way!".

Creed giggled, setting her knife and cucumber down to take care of a far more important task: Kissing her daughter's boo-boo.

"Mwah!" Creed said, putting a big kiss on her knee. "Better baby girl?".

She smiled and laughed, wrapping her little arms around Creed as best she could. "Mommy makes it all better!".

Creed smiled and picked her up, kissing her cheek before settling her on her hip. "Have you been a good little fox?" she asked, her daughters little ears drooping.

"Um, yes?".

"Uh oh, that shouldn't be a question. What did you do little kit?".

"I may, or may not, have been playing with a puppy outside...".

"And?".

"I may, or may not... have have brought him inside and am keeping him as a pet in my room... Please mommy, can I keep him? He's just a little guy...".

"...Alright kit, you may keep him, but next time you need to ask or father or I first, understand?".

"Yes mommy!". The happy little fox faunus in Creed's arms hugged her again and kissed her cheek. "I love you mommy" she said, rubbing her cheek against Creed's.

Creed almost teared up, her heart melting. Setting the child down, she patted her butt and pointed upstairs. "Better go play with him before he misses you".

The wide grin on her face as she ran up the stairs let Creed know she would be happy and entertained for the next couple of hours. Turning back to her cucumbers, she heard the front door open and someone putting up a coat. "Hey babe, how was work today?".

Planting a kiss on his wife's cheek, Lucius wrapped his arms around Creed as she continued cutting. "It wasn't bad. Umber got called out on a case and Forrest burned his eyebrows off with his new still, otherwise it was a pretty relaxing day at the office.

Creed had long loved her husband, even before he even acknowledged her. Back then he was such a stick in the mud. Luckily, he had loosened up over the years and they had eventually decided to marry. One to many close calls in the field had Lucius deciding to take on the less dangerous job of police detective while she occasionally still sold her sketches and worked in her greenhouse. Their baby girl was going on four now and they couldn't be happier.

Creed smiled as she felt her husbands hands tighten around her waist and pull her close, taking the knife from her and turning her in his arms, Lucius's nimble fingers working to massage her back. "You should rest more" he said quietly as Creed relaxed against him.

"I'm fine Lucius" she said with a smile. "I'm fine, Casper's fine, and our little Corvus has been resting today rather than practice his kung fu on my liver". Yes, Creed's baby belly was pretty big, her second child and first son making his presence known as he began to kick.

"Speak and he shall hear" she said with a smile.

Lucius put a hand on her stomach and closed his eyes, a blissful smile on his face as he felt his son moving around.

Creed smiled and leaned forward, her lips connecting with his in a sweet, loving kiss...

When Lucius woke up he saw a strange sight. Creed was propped up against the headboard of the bed they had shared, a heart breakingly sad smile on her face and tears streaming down.

"What's wrong Creed?".

Creed looked over at him and shook her head before hugging him like he was her only lifeline. "I had a dream..." she choked out quietly.

"Was it a nightmare Creed?" he said, confusedly putting his arms around her.

Creed just sadly shook her head. "No. It was perfect Lucius. Absolutely perfect".

"Then why are you crying?".

Creed looked him in the eye. "Because I woke up and it was all just a dream".

Not really knowing how to comfort the girl, Lucius just hugged her and held her tight. "Can you tell me about it?".

Creed sobbed quietly but nodded. "You and I were married. We had a little girl with adorable little fox ears. She was named Casper, after your sister, and the unborn baby was named Corvus, after your brother".

Lucius unconsciously tightened his grip before slowly relaxing. Creed carried on nevertheless. "You were a detective with the police and I sold my sketches. No more deaths, no more drugs, no more fighting or Grimm. I was clean and both of us were happy".

Creed took a moment to wipe her tears before she continued.

"We were happy Lucius. I...I've always wanted children...".

With a pained sigh, Lucius nodded. "As have I... but I'm sterile Creed".

Creed smiled sadly at him. "I know. I can't have children either. To much damage done down there. That's what break my heart the most. We can't have children. We can't have my darling little Casper or Corvus". Crying once more, Creed buried her face in his chest, unable to bear that what she had grown to love so quickly was nothing more than a dream.

Lucius closed his eyes and held her tight. He knew his partner was a loving woman, but this... He wanted nothing more than to make her dream a reality.

And the fact he could never give Creed the children she deserved, the children she and he would both unconditionally love, broke his heart.


	17. Lucius's childhood

Five cards is how it worked. Three events. One showed how the world saw you, the final how you saw yourself. Luscious shuffled his tarot again, then once more. Once it felt right he laid his cards out. He flipped the first. A bowing man and woman offering their swaddled child to the gods, a figure of fire and flood laying claim to their child. The second, a man holding a lantern on a dark night, keeping vigil over a mass grave. The third, a man, a dozen knives through him, laying in his coffin. The coffin was strange in that it was a puppet on strings. Lucius contemplated it's meaning for a moment before flipping the fourth card. A man in a blood stained uniform holding a knife over the fallen body of another uniformed man. And final, number five. He flipped his card over, revealing a warrior in worn armor, carrying a lantern in front of him, a hammer at his side and a shield on his back. Luscious looked at his cards. This. These five cards showed him his entire life. Now all he had to do was find their meaning. Before that though, he needed to bring his father his lunch at the mine. Luscious put the cards in his pocket and headed inside.

"Luscious Rook, why do you play with those cards of yours?". 'Luscious' looked up at his mother. "Because I can read them. Did you want me or Corbi to take dad his lunch?". His mother looked outside, seeing the twin of the boy in front of her offering a pretty girl a shiny rock he had found. The little girl smiled and hugged him, her pleased smile noticeable even from the house. "You take it. I don't need your brother to get in trouble, again, for trying to trade your fathers cookie for candy for one of his 'sweethearts'". Luscious nodded, picking up his fathers lunch pail in his little arms. For a five year old, he did pretty good. Now if only she could get him to stop playing with those blank cards...


	18. Fenn leaves the White Fang

Fenn sighed as he listened to the others yelling and making a fuss. It grated on his ears. How bothersome... Slowly standing, Fenn started towards the exit only to feel a large hand latch on to his wrist. "Where are you going?" the owner of it, a nearly six and a half foot tall cat faunus asked. At once, all the fighting and squabbling ended as every set of eyes in the hall focused on him. Fenn stood tall as he turned around to address everyone. "I'm done, I'm walking away".

Immediately everyone else began yelling, demanding explanations or hurling accusations his way. Fenn weathered it all with his trademark stoicism, unbothered by their words. As the hall slowly calmed down to a mere simmer, Fenn spoke again. "I joined this group in order to protest faunus treatment, not burn down businesses and attack people in the streets. I am willing to take the hits I have to in order to allow my children to grow in a better world, but I'm not going to become a savage to do it".

His words once more sparked outrage, this time even including several cans and even a screwdriver. Fenn once more took the attacks without complaint, even when a cut opened above his left eye and glass stuck in his hand. Demands that he be beaten, his ears cut off, even some yelling for his death and skinning rang through out the hall. Fenn silently sighed as several strong men stepped forward to restrain him and do the deed. This was what he was leaving over. "We are not animals" he said quietly as the first man reached out to grab him.

Fenn grit his teeth and took a step back, not to retreat, but to gain greater leverage when he stepped forward once more, hammering a punch into the bull faunus's nose. The loud crack of cartilage and bone carried throughout the room, soon followed by more. Two, three, four faunus were down, each clutching at wherever Fenn had struck him. He looked around the hall once more, his stoic look seeming to ask if there was going to be anymore difficulties in him leaving. No one else stood, all stunned by the strength he had in his hands. The young bull had it the worst. His face broken by Fenn's punch, nose a barely recognizable mess, and his left eye bulging from its crushed socket, he was struggling with his consciousness as he watched Fenn turn and walk away.

The cat faunus who had first sought to stop Fenn was the first to move, helping the injured up and getting them to someone who could help heal them. The others would recover, though the lad with the broken face would never be pretty again. He sighed, thinking over the last words spoken by Fenn. "We are not animals..." he repeated to himself quietly. It was as though he was were trapped in a dream. A horrible one. Around him he heard quiet mutterings about vengance and retribution, pain and death for Fenn Rook and his family. The cat sighed and thumped his cup down to once more impose order on the hall. The first rule of business after Fenn had left was to forbid any retaliation against against him. "We're not animals, we don't attack our own. He left of his own free will. As such, we don't need him". Many cheered his words, false as he himself considered them. Fenn Rook, husband, miner, fox faunus, and father to be, was also leader of the workers of an incredibly valuable mine in the north. Given the chance, taking the mine, even if it were by force, would gather much attention to their cause... but it would require them to kill one of their own, the founder of the White Fang chapter and one of their greatest backers in terms of medicine and shelter in that burning land. That went far in the grand scheme of things... They would leave the town of Seven Rings in peace in respect for what Fenn Rook had done for their kind. The old fox had earned that much at least.

Fenn walked into the shack he shared with his beloved wife of two years and sat down at the table. He looked around at the bare wooden walls and floor, at the walls that were more for the purpose of keeping hot ash and wind out than actually provide them privacy. He looked into the bedroom at the bed, the woman whom had taken his last name asleep after her days work of washing clothes all day. He sighed as he stood, crossing into the bedroom as he took his boots and shirt off before sliding into bed behind his beloved. Wrapping his strong arms around her, he kissed her cheek. Fusia, a human woman, had married him, a fox faunus man, and left an easy life in Atlas to become a washer woman and wife of a miner. Six months ago they had received word that she had become pregnant with twin boys. The thought nearly made him smile. His hands gently rubbed Fusia's back and stomach, enjoying the feel of his wife and the little touches of his children. He would need to be here for them, not off being delinquent and hurting people. That wasn't his business, nor that of anyone he would consider a friend. Bigots and dirtbags many may be, that didn't change how violence had never truly solved anything. No, the White Fang was no longer something he would be a part of. Not and look his family in the eye at least.


	19. Umber and Forrest meet

Concord Umbra counted up the lien given to him in Vale so far today. Less than he wanted, more than he expected, enough so that he would need to make a trip to the bank to turn in their earnings. They had come to Vale to see if it would be worth opening a new shop and expanding into a new kingdom when some sad events had Concord baking to raise money. Waving over his son Umber who was taking some muffins out of the oven, he instructed him to watch over the stand while he made a trip. Concord laughed and ruffled his son's hair at the grin on his young face to be given such responsibility. Quietly laughing to himself as he walked away, Concord knew he had left the stand in good hands.

Umber smiled as he took the money offered to him, handing the woman a loaf of banana bread in exchange. His family was selling baked stuff to raise some money for one of his dad's workers. Her husband had gotten mauled by a beowolf and had been sent home. He probably wouldn't walk again the doctors had said. Umber's dad, Concord, had decided that that wasn't good enough for someone who had been loyal to him and began donating some money to them. When that became too much, he set up bake sales as well, anything that could help them. Now, normally a bake sale would raise some money, about enough to get by on for a couple weeks or so. Then again, Concord was a five-star baker, famous throughout Vacuo for his delicious treats. So far they had received enough to fix one of the man's legs, now they just needed enough for the second.

As Umber was getting another batch of bread out of their little oven, a fat boy in a weird looking skirt ran past and stole a loaf of bread. An offended look crossed Umber's face and he yelled "Hey! Those are for charity! Bring it back!". The fat boy ran on, heedless of Umber's shouting. With a roll of his eyes, Umber quickly ran after the boy, soon catching up. Not wanting to smash the bread under the fat boy with a tackle, Umber instead tried talking to him.

"You know, you could have just bought that loaf instead. Though you look like you need the exercise, we don't have to run. Just hand me the bread". The fat boy was startled, not having noticed Umber's form beside him. Trying to put another burst of speed on to get away, the boy instead slipped and fell off the path, rolling down the hill and into the river. Umber stopped and laughed, finding it funny. He did swear quietly when he realized that the boy had taken the bread into the river with him. Tapping his foot, Umber slowly became concerned when the boy didn't surface. With a sigh, he ran over and jumped into the river to fetch him.

"My name's Forrest, Forrest Green" the now named Forrest said as Umber helped him out to a stool near the oven to dry. "I'm sorry about your bread," he said quietly, "And for you having to save me... We don't have a lot of rivers where I'm from, just shallow streams, so I never learned how to swim...". Umber sighed and shook his head with a smile. "Next time you nearly drown for something, try to make sure that it's not bread, no matter how good it tastes, yeah?". Forrest laughed and nodded, an embarrassed blush on his face. "Yeah... that would be a pretty stupid reason to die". His smile slowly fading, Forrest sighed. "I'm really sorry about this. My cousins were making fun of me and told me they wouldn't play with me unless I stole something. I figured that if I had to steal something, a cheap loaf of bread would be the best because they're easy to replace. I really am sorry...". Umber smiled and waved the apology off. "It's fine, but because I burned a little cake trying to catch you, you've got to help me for a while, got it?".

Forrest eagerly smiled, this being a lighter punishment than he could have hoped for. He knew that if word of his attempted theft got back to his family that his father would tan his hide, so if all it took to smooth things over with his new friend was to keep him company and sell some stuff, he had no problems with that arrangement at all.

"So... What's up with the skirt?".

Forrest growled and yelled at Umber as the other boy laughed, "It's a kilt!".


	20. The death of Casper

Casper shook in her seat. She didn't know why, though she could guess any number of reasons. It could have been because she was hungry. After all, she hadn't eaten in three days and wasn't much of an eater before then either. It could be because she was thirsty. Despite the doctor and nurses insistence, she had not drunk anything in two days ever since she last cleaned herself with a rag and bucket. It could be because she hadn't slept in three days and could feel her heart racing even though she had only been sitting on her stool for a long time. Or it could be because she had watched her mother, father, and everyone except for one of her older brothers that she had ever known be torn to pieces by Grimm right in front of her eyes. ...The last one was probably it.

Casper looked around once, hearing several loud pops and cracks from her neck and back as she did. No visitors. There had been four earlier. They had been the team that had abandoned them. She did not blame them, even though they were at fault for the loss of everyone she knew. They were young, well, relatively speaking of course. The youngest among them was still seven years older than her. They had chosen the Huntsman lifestyle, but apparently the reality only just hit them when they realized that they were being ordered to fight and die for a bunch of people they didn't even know. No, she didn't blame them for fleeing, for wanting to live. Didn't hate them either. It was rather funny that they didn't even recognize her as the sister of the young man she sat next to. She had even served them fish in her mother's house when they came to visit, curious about their friend's family. Corbin had even introduced her as his cute baby sister. They had only eyes for their friend, wishing him to wake, and then afraid of his vengeance once he found out everyone was dead because they had abandoned their posts. It didn't matter anyways...

What mattered, to her at least, was her brother. He was waking, slowly, but he was waking. The only one she had left was opening his eyes. What else mattered was that when they were brought to Vale, no one had searched her. What mattered most though, was that inside her dress was her brother Corbin's silenced pistol, and that the horrors of what she had seen had affected her far more than she had let on. She tried to speak, but her mouth was too dry, so she casually sipped some water, her hand shaking so badly that she nearly dropped it. "Hello brother. You lived. You beat back the darkness". Her voice was a bit rough compared to usual, but she knew Lucius could still understand her. Casper, for the first time she could remember as she watched Lucius try to sit up, smiled. "You won brother. You saved me. Thank you...". She calmly reached into her dress for the pistol. Pulling it out, her smile left her slowly as she put the gun to her head. She could see his eyes widening. Good. It meant he would remember this. "Fight the darkness, Lucius. Don't let it win". That said, she let her body relax, all the stress and waking nightmares gone in an instant as she calmly pulled the trigger.


	21. Lucius and Umber hide a body

(No joke, this one is a bit mature. Don't read it if mature or graphic content upsets you. This means you kiddo, don't read this one. Also, I am a muppet and don't own RWBY)

 _They never really expect it, you know? How sharp bone is when it's broken. They always think that it's smooth, or rounded over. That for whatever reason, a bone broke in two or more pieces would still feel the same._

 _It doesn't. The bone edges are sharp, some really sharp. And the damage broken bones can do is something they never expect either. Snap, and you're done. That's what they expect. No. Not by a long shot. The worst is head trauma. Broke an arm, a leg, even neck or back, and the person can still look human. Not with head trauma. The shape of the head is off, off in ways that just can't be natural. A cheekbone an inch lower, or broken further into the face. Damage to the back of the skull that makes the eyes bulge and ears bleed now that the back of the skull is an inch or more closer to the thalamus of the brain..._

 _\- Doctor Beggar Rose Dandy, Trauma Surgery Specialist_

Umber Umbra's hands shook as she unwrapped her gloves and threw them to the side. Quickly turning away, she threw up on the ground, the force of it driving her to her knees. She...she had killed someone. She hadn't meant to. He was a bastard, a cruel, hateful sadist who made her want to kill herself every day for a year, but she hadn't wanted to kill him. Beat him and cripple him yes, but not kill.

Umber had waited for him in the locker room after training. He had been going after lunchtime at his work to work out every day for months. She had been scheduled to be somewhere else, so it surprised him that she was in there. Challenging his manhood and making him angry came next, then when he attacked her, she struck back. He couldn't have known, had no way of knowing, that for the last three years she had been training nonstop. Her hands that were once so soft were hardened by punching. Her body that he had taken for slight and willowy as she used to be was now whip chord tough. He couldn't have known, and he couldn't have known just how outmatched he was. She had been almost calm at first. Methodical even. A punch here, a knee there. If you know how and where you could cause massive damage to the human body without much trouble. She was in control of everything.

...Until she wasn't. When he had begun telling her that she had won she had gotten angry. When he told her that he gave up she was enraged. And when he begged her to stop... She didn't know what happened until she felt herself banging the back of his head against the floor, hearing the thuds, and then a crack she felt through her whole body as his skull smashed like an egg...

Umber curled up and stared at him, at the body, tears running down her face from wide open eyes as she shook. She had killed him. She lost control. There was no fixing this, dead was dead. There would be no help from her if she got caught, no one would care what he had done to her. She had lost control in a fit of rage and she would die for it. Umber's stomach tried to throw up again but only succeeded in dry heaves that felt like her lungs wanted no part in working for a murderer. She couldn't do this, couldn't look away, couldn't run... so she sat, and stared at his unmoving body until a vibration and quiet music heralded a call to her scroll.

Lucius Rook checked the time once more, then again. It was running late, and the window of opportunity he had gotten for Umber to break her old tormentor was passed. He shook his head and sipped his coffee as he took his scroll out. Dialing his teammate's number, it didn't take long for her to pick up. "Umber? Where are you? Times long past up. What happened?". He heard a shaky intake of breath that boded nothing good before Umber spoke. "Lucius... I... I lost control... H-he's dead...".

Lucius rubbed the bridge of his nose as he heard Umber crying on the other end. "Alright, Umber, hey... hey, LISTEN!". She fell silent as she waited for her team leader to speak once more. "Alright... Wash everything down Umber. Clean the entire room, the body, yourself, everything. Look around for a duffle bag or something you could fit him in. After that, lock the door, I'll be there shortly". Lucius waited for Umber to repeat his instructions back to him before ending the call and hurrying towards the door, all while different scenarios and outcomes ran through his head. He had taken the job of team leader, and as team leader, the team members were his to watch out for, and that was a job he took seriously. Umber would not be caught, and she would not go to jail, he would see to it personally.

Taking a truck from his motor pool, Lucius drove for ten minutes before he found what he needed. Parking his truck, he looked both ways as he got out and approached another vehicle. He had no idea who it belonged to, and that was the point. It was clean for this purpose. Using a lockpick to open the door, he quickly hotwired the car and headed down the road. No one noticed, no one saw. Keeping an eye out for pursuers and, well, everyone else, Lucius soon arrived at the gym. An unscheduled presentation was going on between a pair of boxers that had drawn a large crowd across the gym from where Umber was supposed to bed, making Lucius's job both harder and easier. On the one hand, it was a lot of people that may just decide to come see what was going on. On the other, the fight was an exciting one and was drawing the attention of just about everyone.

After a final look around, Lucius went inside. He quickly made his way to the locker room and knocked several times in a code he had taught the others. Hearing it, Umber unlocked the door, her normally tan face nearly as pale as his from the stress. After checking to see if she was alright, Lucius checked on the body. All Umber could find to fit him was a duffle bag, and that wasn't big enough. Lucius sighed and rolled up his sleeves before he calmly began breaking the bones and joints even more in order to stuff their victim in. Umber shook like a leaf as he did until he instructed her to clean up some of what looked like raspberry jelly that had leaked out onto the floor. She did as she was told and soon had the mess cleaned up as Lucius finished zipping up the bag.

Working together, they worked a trash bag onto each end in order to keep the leaking fluids to a minimum before lifting the bag and leaving the locker room.

Umber pissed herself when she saw twelve guys looking at her and Lucius carrying a bag leaking blood out of the locker room. Apparently, the fight was over and they were there to get ready for the next fight. Things didn't look good for any of them until Lucius asked if anyone had seen the man she had killed. When no on said they had, he nodded, making up a story about how he had owed money to powerful people, but had hired Umber and him to protect him, and about how part of protecting him was not letting him open up his locker and be buried by chopped off dog legs, put there by a man known as the 'Dogcatcher' as a warning. The men turned green and quickly moved to the side, one even offering them a stretcher to carry the 'legs' on.

When asked why Umber had wet herself at seeing the men, Lucius told them that she loved dogs and thought that the Dogcatcher had come back. The lie worked, and the men allowed the two out of the building unmolested, even letting the keep the stretcher, saying that they wouldn't want it back anyway.

Umber got into the front seat and looked at her still shaking hands as Lucius shut the trunk and started the car. Calm as can be, he drove them back towards his truck. Parking several blocks away, he told her to take his keys and find his car. Stressed to the point of dropping the keys twice, Lucius stopped her. Reaching into his dress coat, he pulled a flask from his vest and offered it to her, saying that perhaps something to drink might help her nerves. Umber greedily drank it, nearly choking when she realized how strong it was. After a moment, she then felt horrible. She had drunk nearly half the flask and she knew for a fact that the alcohol Lucius put in it was of the highest quality and imported from Atlas. Offering it back to him, he shook his head. "One more. Enough to dull, not enough to impair". Umber slowly nodded and sipped once more before setting the flask down and getting out. Her hands still shook a little, but she was feeling much calmer as she put the keys in the ignition to the truck and drove back to Lucius.

Together, the pair drove out of the city of Vale itself. Nearly twenty minutes out of town Lucius finally lead them off the road and into a forested area until he found a cliff. Getting out, he set the car into neutral and with Umber's help, pushed it off. Returning to his truck, he reached under the wheel well unhooked a hidden clasp. A fact that nearly everyone who spends more than a day with Lucius knows is that he is paranoid. Paranoid enough in fact that he would hide thermite bombs in his own truck. Tossing them down below, Lucius waited until the car was burning brightly and the surrounding forest had begun to catch before he got into the truck and headed back to Vale.

Only once they returned to a house used by the team when they didn't want to sleep at Beacon did Umber finally begin to calm down. Lucius took her inside and sat her down. Understanding that there was no possible way for Umber to be alone right now, Lucius got out some sedatives to give her. She didn't react when Lucius slid a needle into her arm, nor did she do anything when she felt her body go limp. Lucius picked Umber up bridal style and walked into the main bedroom. Since Team LUCF was rather unorthodox about how they acted around each other, the main bedroom had a bed large enough for all four of them. Stripping Umber down and laying her in bed, Lucius soon followed. He wrapped his arms around her and held her as she began crying again. "H-how can you be so calm about all t-this? I killed a man and you helped me cover it up? Why Lucius?". Lucius was silent for a moment before he quietly spoke. "...Because I want to be the kind of person I wish could have been there for me" he said, confusing her. He gently kissed her and held her close, not saying anything further on the subject. Eventually, the stress and the sedative were too much and Umber fell asleep.

Umber wouldn't be okay, not for a long time, but knowing that her team would take care of her helped, and that was enough to ensure that she didn't harm herself or fall into despair and guilt. The man's body was later found when the forest fire was put out, though the flames had burned away any chance of discovering who the body belonged to. With no evidence or even proof of ID, the case went cold, and no one would ever know what happened to the man at the gym.


	22. Creed and her sister

Creed lay beside her sister on the roof of the orphanage as the pair watched the stars together. Smiling, Creed turned to look at her sister. Younger than her, Creed's six to Lacey's five, Lacey was almost timid in her shyness, a sweet little girl that Creed kept all to herself. Brown haired and eyed, Creed had adopted the rabbit faunus on the second day Lacey was at the orphanage. After thoroughly beating the other kids who thought this sweet child was theirs to torment, Creed took Lacey in. In the year she had been at the orphanage, none had harmed Lacey for fear of Creed's retribution. The thought made Creed smile, and she leaned over to kiss Lacey's cheek.

"What was that for?" Lacey asked, looking at Creed in bewilderment.

Creed answered with a hug. "Because I love you, my precious sister. You are mine, and I am yours, and you mean the world to me... And because you're a cutie pie!" Creed said with a mischievious grin, her hug turning into tickling. Peals of laughter came from the pair as Creed tickled her little sister relentlessly for some time. Catching their breath, Creed smiled and held Lacey close. "I love you sissy. Will you be my sister forever?".

Lacey looked up at Creed with some confusion. "Of course, right? I mean, aren't we sisters?".

Creed smiled and kissed Lacey's forehead. "Of course baby bunny, I was just worried that you might leave the orphanage without me. You wouldn't do that, would you?".

Lacey looked guilty as she looked down. There had actually been some interest in her from prospective parents. Real interest, legal interest. A few couples had been in wanting to see about adopting her... and with how cruel the headmistress was, and how mean the other children were and... and with how much Creed seemed to want her near her all of the time... Even sharing beds, getting dressed, and sitting outside the bathroom for her... Lacey just wasn't so sure she wanted to stay at the orphanage longer than she had to. It made her sad, hurt, and scared. She wanted to leave.

Opening her mouth to tell Creed that she wanted to go with a family whether Creed could go or not, Lacey paused. If she told Creed how she felt... Creed might leave her. Might abandon her to the others. Perhaps even hurt her or push her from the roof. Lacey looked up into those red eyes, those frightening reds that seemed to almost glow in the darkness, and shivered. "N-no, sissy... I...I would never leave you...".

Creed smiled and held Lacey tight, kissing her cheeks and forehead. "Thank you, sissy, thank you! I love you baby bunny, you're the best! Woohoo! I have a sister and she loves me and I love her! Best family ever!".


	23. Moira visiting her family

The car crunching on gravel gave Moira her first clue that they were nearing their destination. The second was a wrought iron fence off to her right. The final sign that brought her back to the present was the car pulling to a stop and her longtime friend putting the car in park. "...Do you want some company?" he asked in the kindest tone he could. Moira smiled sadly up at the weathered old sailor. Shaking her head, she sighed. "No Pyrite... I'll do this myself". The old walrus sighed but nodded, accepting her words. Moira patted his cheek in thanks before getting out of the truck. Grabbing a bouquet of flowers and satchel from behind the seat, she walked towards the gate, pulling out a large key as she did. The gates slowly opened after she unlocked them, a slight creak to their hinges as they moved. Moira made a note to get on to the caretaker to oil the hinges when he next came.

Crossing the grass at a slow walk, Moira's thoughts were calm with some regret mixed in. It had been too long since she had last visited her children and grandchildren. She did smile some when she saw a weathered toy figurine of a soldier. Peri had left it when last she had brought him and his sister. He had been young then, only nine or ten, and she briefly marveled at how much he had grown over the years, only to laugh. At fifteen years old, the poor boy still hadn't even reached five feet tall and her granddaughter still had him play dress up with her. What Moira knew and Peri didn't was that Gwen had been taking pictures of him dressed as a girl. The stories that girl wrote about him and his best friend... Moira shook her head. She didn't know where Gwen had learned to write such stories, but if Peri knew what they read he would never look at his friend the same again.

Cresting a hill, she smiled sadly when she saw her family. "...Hello, my sweets... I'm sorry it's been so long... I brought you each a present". She began taking the various flowers from her bouquet and laid them on the ground in front of each of her loved ones. A lovely blue rose for her eldest daughter Rose, some posies for her sweet little Carnation, and a tiger lily for her Lily. For her husband a red rose, and for each grandchild a peony and aster. Reaching into the satchel, she began placing little trinkets on the grass. A handful of buttons here, a plastic soldier there, some brass bullet cases on another and a cookie in front of the smallest one. Pouring a shot of whiskey, she set it down in front of her husband. Her ritual done, Moira knelt before laying down. Staring up at the sky, she began to tell her family of what had happened since she had last been to see them. She laughed, cried, smiled, and sighed as she told them of Gwen learning to pilot a bullhead and Peri and his antics. Of Pera finally dating and learning that she liked girls more than boys and of Gwen trying to get the twins to kiss so she could take a picture. Moira truly relaxed as she spoke to her loved ones in the quiet on top of their little hill...

It was nearly three hours later that Moira finally decided it was time to go. Groaning as she got up, wincing as she rubbed the ache in her thigh from an injury she had received a couple of years before, she bade each of her family well. Leaning down, she gave them each a kiss and promised to see them sooner than last time as she waved to them and started walking back towards the car. Moira felt bad when she saw that Pyrite had set his stool up beside the car and had fallen asleep waiting for her to return from talking to her family. Gently hugging the old man and kissing his forehead, she woke him up and asked him to drive her home. He blinked for a moment before nodding and putting his stool away. "Did you say your piece?" he asked quietly. Moira looked back towards her family once before nodding. "Yes. It was... it was good to see them again Pyrite. Just painful". Pyrite nodded as he started the car and drove them down the old lane. "Aye lass. It always hurts seeing them again". Moira nodded silently and looked back behind them at the fading sign that watched over her family. A motherly figure holding a sleeping angel, the writing under it reading 'Agincourt Addition, North Atlas Cemetary, paid for by Lieutenant Moira Agincourt, Ret.'.


	24. Creed stands on the edge

(A character belonging to Wolf Cubbie Cutey is in this chapter. She's the one that's not Creed)

Creed sighed and slowly took her collar off of her arm. Holding it in front of her face, the young girl tried to see anything special about it. A simple black collar, leather, with a little bell on it. From the size it was either a dog collar or one like the girls who were 'superstars' wore. The only thing special about it as far as Creed knew was that it had held up really well over the years... and that no one had taken it from her. Headmistress had said that it was bad luck, that a few girls had stolen it before. That had always ended with the girls having a tragic accident, blood getting on the collar, and the collar being returned to Creed.

"...Am I a demon?" she asked the wind. Sighing sadly when she didn't get an answer, she put her collar back on her arm. "I am, aren't I? White hair and red eyes, I laugh when I'm hurt and find others getting hurt funny too... I must be a demon". Creed took no solace in her revelation. Standing up, she looked out past the cement walls penning in the orphanage. She briefly wondered about her parents, if her bad luck had gotten them killed, if her being a demon was why they left her at this horrible place. Swallowing and closing her eyes, Creed lifted her leg to take that last step, the final step of her young life, when she heard a little girl crying in pain. Blinking, Creed looked down at the yard. There, by the fence, a little rabbit faunus had been pinned against it by some bullies who were pulling on her ears and hair. Creed considered just jumping and ending everything, but the little girl screamed a little louder.

Growling quietly, Creed backed up before running over to the drain pipe attached to the roof. Climbing down as quickly as she could, Creed lept the final ten feet down, landing in a crouch before darting across the grounds. Making her intentions known to the bullies with a running kick to the side of their leader's head, Creed growled at the others. "Leave her alone! This one's with me!".

Their 'courage' gone as soon as Creed had kicked their leader, the cowardly children ran for it, not even picking up their comrade. Creed glared after them for a moment before sighing and looking over the little faunus. Hair disheveled, some torn out and bleeding and covered in dirt with a fair amount of scrapes and scratches, the poor little girl looked a sight. When Creed stepped forward, the girl flinched back, afraid Creed had run off the bullies just to take their place. "Hey, I'm not going to hurt you, alright? I saved you. Besides, I told them that you're with me. That means that when I'm around, you're safe, alright?".

The rabbit faunus looked very nervous before slowly nodding. "O-Okay...". Creed smiled and stepped forward with her hand out. "My name's Creed. What's yours?".

The little girl looked from Creed's face to her hand before slowly extending her own. "L-Lacey...". Creed and Lacey shook hands before Creed gave Lacey a look over to see if she needed help. Not seeing anything to nervous, Creed put an arm around the girl and started to lead her away. She briefly looked back up to the rooftop of the four-story orphanage. She wasn't really feeling better than before, and still thought of herself as a demon, but... She looked down at the scared rabbit faunus at her side. If she was a demon, then that meant that there were angels, and if there were angels, then they were worth protecting. Creed vowed then to keep this little rabbit faunus from everyone and everything. NO ONE was going to touch her so long as she Creed was by her side!


	25. Creed's Training

Terror. Pain. Shame. Terror. Pain. Shame. Terror. Pain. Shame...

Creed could not remember when last she could think of something that didn't cause those three words. At the ripe old age of twelve, the leader of the gang who owned her had decided that Creed was growing into a desirable creature. As such, to further the finances of the gang, he would send her to be trained by a professional courtesan. That had been two years ago...she thought. Could be more or less. She could not remember the last time she was allowed to see sunshine without being dosed on hallucinogens, and there were no calendars in the cells or common rooms. The lights were kept off or on low so that when their mistress needed their attention all she had to do was speak quietly. If no one noticed, or if she felt like it, she would activate high powered strobe lights to burn their eyes.

Her name was Poppy Sun, and a pit viper would be far more appropriate for how much she cared for her students, or her prey, depending on one's view. In actuality, she was a rabbit faunus, and Creed had spent enough time around cruel and uncaring people to know that Poppy Sun was one of the most dangerous women she had ever met. And she taught her 'girls' to be the same. Those that failed were killed, tortured, or lobotomized and put on sale as living sex dolls. Those who passed were forced to laugh and jeer at their lessers, to taunt them as they were dragged away. They did not do this out of malice. Most of them at least. They were forced to do it. Be cruel to the weak or be punished. Those who were made of stronger stuff would overcome. Those who were not would break or be broken. Creed...couldn't even hate the mistress for their treatment. It was surgical in its cruelty, focused in its terror. Every girl here knew that they were but the mistress' word away from being forced into a lifetime of pain, and between the drugs in the food and their mistress' kinder words, some poor souls had even fallen in love with her.

Creed remembered one such girl. A kind, sad girl. One who had been kidnapped from her family by her father's best friend and sold into slavery. She had been terrified, but had tried to make friends, tried to make the best of the situation, tried to escape. Creed remembered how the girl had once given her her meal when Creed was being punished. They had forced the girls to be nude for the first six months they had been with mistress and Creed had dared to give a girl her blanket. Her punishment was prolonged electroshock treatments and two weeks without food. The girl had dared everything to help Creed and had lost. She had been found out. Her punishment was the same as Creed's though mistress had added extra. After the shocks, they would administer drugs that would numb the pain and make her feel good. Mistress would come in and pet the girl, treat her like a beloved pet. Cuddle her, hug and kiss her. The kind, sad girl who had helped Creed was not there anymore. Dead in all but body, her mind had broken. Now she was mistress Poppy's personal pet. She leads her by a collar and took her everywhere, the girl convinced that she was an obedient dog. Poppy had gone a step further, having the girls hands and legs removed, her hair removed, and her nose cut open to more resemble a dog's. Her front teeth were knocked out and her canines were replaced with dull implants to more perfect the picture.

And because of the addicting drugs and punishments they were given, the girls laughed and taunted the sad creature everytime they saw it. The drugs had even caused many of the girls, herself, unfortunately, included, to show sadistic tendencies. One of the tests they were given was to inflict as much pain on their partner as possible without leaving a trace or permanent injury. Creed had had wooden toothpicks shoved under her fingernails, then they were put into water so the toothpicks would swell. The girl failed so she was punished. Her punishment was up to Creed. And Creed felt horrible, horrible shame at how much she had enjoyed hurting the girl. Even now she remembered how she spoke to the girl, twisted her joints, put needles into her most sensitive parts. How she screamed after Creed gave her something to make her more sensitive then brushed fingers with a feather. Creed hated this place, but not hardly as much as she hated herself. To punish herself, she swore that she would keep what kindness she had left. She would force herself to love, to care, and she would force herself to live, if only out of penance for her sins. She swore this on her salvation, on her sister Lacey, and on her life. She would never harden her heart as they wanted, turn a blind eye, or walk away. Not when she could suffer compassion and lose. Never.


	26. Creed's Semblance

Creed gasped and shook, feeling the cocktail of drugs rushing through her system. It was bad this time, worse than the others. Her veins felt like they were on fire even as her teeth chattered hard enough that one cracked. She could feel her stomach lurching, seeking to force its contents up once more, even though there was nothing inside. She screamed, the shadows at the edge of visions laughing and cutting her to ribbons again and again. Knowing that what she saw wasn't real didn't help at all. At least if they were real she could die. This cocktail was designed to break the mind and spirit of its subject after all, and she had seen its handy work again and again throughout her training.

She had finally annoyed Mistress Poppy, much to her dismay. She had not been broken by the woman's teachings, instead retaining her personality and will to live. Again and again she had been punished, hurt and forced to suffer, humiliated and beaten. Time after time Mistress Poppy would heal her, saying that she still had potential, still had a use. Time and time again she would order Creed to hurt or to watch others be hurt. Parts of her training had taken at least. Creed found herself getting excited more and more at the thought of pain. Cutting flesh, hearing cries of anguish. Just as much, she had been conditioned to enjoy her own pain as well. Once, she had even begged to be cut, pleaded for her mistress to carve her flesh and salt the wound. She had been rewarded for that. It didn't matter now. She had annoyed Mistress Poppy, and this was her punishment. Her arm had track marks from a dozen different concoctions being injected into them. Her entire body seemed to be one big ball of hurt with all the contradicting drugs. Bad trips, jitters, fevers and cold sweats. Her heart wouldn't slow down, beating like she had run ten miles. She had long since lost control of her bodily functions and been made to sit in her own filth. Locked inside of a four-foot by four-foot cell, the only proof that she hadn't been forgotten and left to die was that whenever she started to come down someone would come and inject her with something new.

Creed grit her teeth as tears flowed from her eyes. Poppy wanted her to break. Wanted her to stop caring. She wanted her to become cold and harsh like her. To poison her against the world...

"No...".

Creed shook uncontrollably as she tried to regain control of her body.

"No".

She tried to relax her muscles, forcing herself to breath more slowly in an attempt to slow her heart rate.

"No!". She thought of her sister and the dreams they shared, of the orphanage her oath to never stop caring. To endure the pain of loving, to prove to herself and others that she wasn't a demon.

"No!" Creed screamed out, unknowing that her aura was forcing itself to activate. She screamed again and hit the ground with her balled up fist. She refused to allow Poppy to poison her against the world. She refused to be like her!

"I am Creed and you will not poison me!" she screamed, feeling awake and alive for the first time since being forced into her small cell. She bared her teeth and began kicking at the door, wanting to be free, wanting to show to the world that she was Creed and that she had a sister and that she would never give in and become numb.

Creed didn't realize it at the time, but she had activated her semblance, her aura flaring a white tinged with blood red. When her door was finally opened by the guards, she killed two by biting their throats out but was beaten by four more till she fell unconscious. The beating lasted another thirty seconds until they were ordered away by a smiling Poppy. She laughed quietly and had Creed moved to a new cell, a large one with its own bed and toilet.

"Plans have changed for you little rabbit" Poppy said as she began to personally undress and wash her student. "Not for you will be the role of student little one. You'll be my pet project. You're going to be my new little apprentice". She smiled coldly as she activated her semblance and healed the underfed teen. She watched as the cuts and bruises faded, as color returned to her cheeks, and her breathing slowed. She checked the girl's pulse and found it satisfactory before standing up. Laying the blanket over her body, she placed a tray of fruit on the floor beside the bed alongside a note telling her to eat the fruit because she would need the energy. Poppy laughed quietly as she walked out of the cell, taking care to lock the door behind her. "What did she say her name was?" she asked one of the guards.

"Creed ma'am. She said her name was Creed".

"Very well. This Creed is my new apprentice. When she wakes she is to eat. She will be fed two meals a day for and washed regularly, and when I send clothes for her to wear, she is to put them on. If she refuses any of it inform me immediately".

"Yes, ma'am. Upon your word".

Poppy smiled and patted the guard's cheek, enjoying the trembling she felt. These men... silly, silly men. Easily led astray. Not these though. These guards knew what she was capable of.

Poppy whistled and her 'pet' came panting up to her, a large grin on her face. Poppy smiled and took her leash out, attaching it to her pet's collar. "Come along little one. We have work to do". Her pet croaked happily and hurried to follow after, the nubs of her arms and legs bruised from following her owner everywhere. Poppy whistled quietly as she walked back toward her own suite. Dealing with that girl had been a fun diversion but her pet needed her supper and a bath. She sighed, considering having paws made for her so as to not be running on those nubs anymore. "We'll get you fixed up pet. Then perhaps I'll enter you into a show. Would you like that pet? Would you?".

The girl...pet... croaked happily and sped up. Mistress was pleased! Happy pet!

The guard whom Poppy had touched looked down at himself, shaking. He was six feet tall and over two hundred pounds, had killed more people than he could remember...and he had wet himself from fear of that woman... He got his supervisor to send up a replacement for him so that he could go get changed. Guards were not immune to Mistress Poppy's whims, and he didn't dare think of what she might do to a guard that pissed himself...


	27. Creed sees the doctor

Creed sighed as she relaxed as much as she could. Paper gowns and doctor offices were never pleasant places and were something she generally avoided if she could. The cold, sterile, and white standard doctor's office, and needles in general, both connected to bad memories that she'd rather forget. It didn't matter though. This was for her future, not her past, and in order to continue forward, she needed a full physical, check up, and to check in with the gynecologist in order to pass the physical aspect of getting into Beacon Academy. Say what you want, a place that focused on combat was at least smart enough to check if their female students were pregnant.

While her doctor had brought up several concerns regarding her blood pressure and level of nutrition, what concerned Creed the most was the OB/GYN taking interest in her case. As she had told her, she had never had a period before. She had never really thought about, figuring that it was due to her poor nutrition or that she had just never thought about it. After a basic exam, the doctor had decided to do more advanced tests. Apparently she was serious because she didn't even bat an eye when Creed joked about dinner and a movie. It had been a drawn-out affair, taking far more time than Creed had expected. She had soon gotten bored of simply sitting there and had taken to checking out the room, even briefly sketching the doctor until she was told to put her pencil and paper away. After that, she had lain back and decided that she may as well try to get some sleep and ignore the poking and prodding happening in her nether regions.

That said, she was a bit annoyed at being woken by the doctor, though she sat up and paid attention when she was told to. Creed sat patiently while the doctor explained a few things to her in medical, some confusing, some not. The part that truly grabbed her attention though was when the subject of sexual abuse was brought up. Answering the doctor's questions, Creed was a bit worried at her expression when she told her that she first lost her virginity at seven. "Yeah doc, it hurt. It hurt like all kinds of hell, but I was a virgin and a young one at that. Isn't that normal?".

The doctor's tearful expression didn't prepare her for the news. When Creed had been raped at the tender age of seven, her rapist had torn up her insides. That she had survived was a miracle, but it came at a cost. Her dreams of a family.

Creed sat in stunned silence as the doctor told her about how the reason she never had a period was that she was incapable of having children. Her reproductive system had been damaged beyond repair through her years of sexual abuse, and the drugs that had been pumped into her had further exasperated it. She would never be able to conceive a child, one of the things she had looked forward to most in life.

The doctor patted her shoulder in sympathy before leaving her alone to grieve in private. Had she known Creed, she would have realized how dangerous that could be. The young rabbit faunus felt hollow inside, empty. All the years of pain, of rape, all the torment she had gone through... she felt despair.

Creed looked around the office, searching for something sharp that she may puncture an artery with. She frowned at the lack of medical equipment, it having been removed when the doctor had finished her tests. Thinking to herself, she got out her make up compact and broke the little mirror inside on a corner of a counter. Picking up a sharp looking piece, she held it up to her neck and closed her eyes. She wanted an end, and perhaps in the next life, she could have children. She smiled at the thought as she began cutting her neck but frowned when she thought of her own childhood. Growing up in an orphanage, sold off to be a slave, then a toy for pleasure...her life had not been good. She thought of her sister, a rabbit faunus named Lacey, and slowly brought the piece of glass from her skin.

Lacey would have been dead in the first week if it wasn't for her... She had helped the girl, and Lacey had helped her. Creed regretted how she had treated Lacey, but she still loved her. Looking down at the piece of glass, she looked into her crying eyes. There were still orphans out there, children who needed help. She may not be able to have children of her own, but she could at least give them something she never had...A loving home. with a twinge of longing, she threw the glass away and picked up the floor before getting dressed. If the doctor noticed the drops of blood on Creed's neck as she walked out then she was polite enough not to say anything about.

Creed's walk was sad but purposeful. She would become a Huntress, protect the people, and when she retired, she would care for others. She figured that a life spent helping others was one that was not wasted, even if it meant that she had suffered for nothing...


	28. One sin too many

He took a final breath before he took the first step out of his old life. It wasn't done in hesitation, that just wouldn't be him. No, it was done in remembrance. Had there been anything worth keeping a hold of in his time? Anything besides her? ...The answer was no, there wasn't. He had cared more for that woman than he had anything else in his life.

He knew now the feeling he had for their meeting was regret. He regretted that she was hurt, that it had been him to find her in that alley, and... And he regretted everything he did to her.

It hadn't been right, but he didn't care. He had beaten her, broken her bones so that she couldn't even fight back, then he had forced himself on her like some animal... He regretted many things in life, that most of all. She had struggled, not that it mattered. She raged, unable to even fight back. Then he found her weakness and his downfall. Her ears. He...had never been with a willing woman before. Whores didn't count. Not really. The noises she made when his touch turned gentle...

He smiled to himself. He hated how it had started, but he could never regret knowing her. Beautiful and proud, he had broken and shackled her body, yet she had been fierce even then. She had stayed with him for some time even after she had healed. He hadn't told her that the bomb in her collar had been a dud, so he figured that had played a large part. At first he had treated her like an animal, like others would expect of him. He took no pleasure in it, or in her pain. He had soon invited her into his home proper. That...had been awkward. Having no real idea of what was expected of him, he had simply stopped trying to hurt her and instead tried to give her space and some manner of privacy. It didn't matter. Whatever attraction she had for him was because he had deprived her of an alternative. It was tainted in his eyes, not worthy of her.

So he had offered her something in return for staying in his life. A ring of brass and stainless steel, made from melted shell casings, and what savings he had. The money he gave her was something that was paultry compared to her suffering, but it was all he had to offer. Placing the key to her collar, the money, and his ring on the table in front of her, he had asked for her to spend her life with him. He had known better, but he had to at least try.

He understood her refusal and did not hold it against her. Nothing he could do would ever make what he had done right, so after she had returned home to her loving son... He had simply left. His weapons and armor were left behind in the armory, his money was put in her name, and all he had were the clothes on his back. He had started walking and never looked back. After all the pain he had caused, it was the kindest thing he knew he could do. Just walk away, and out of her life, and never come back... 


	29. Casper goes to the Fair

...My name is Casper Rook, daughter of Fenn and Fusia, and my brother should know better than to poke me. I look up at Corbin, the younger of the twins, as he squeezes my cheeks.

"You're always so grumpy Casper. Why don't you smile? Come, dance with your brother!".

He lets go of my cheeks just to grab my hand and drag me across the fairground toward where pipes and string instruments could be heard. I don't understand why he does these things. He knows that I don't enjoy dancing or music. Perhaps it is for his own sake then? My brother does not give me a chance to think on this. Taking my hands and placing my feet atop of his, we are off 'dancing' before I know to leave. I stare dispassionately up at him and think on what I see. His body torn to shreds, teeth and claw marks across his skin. Even in the end, he will still be smiling, though the pain will twist it. It is...unfortunate. I love my brother, though I do not know how to show it. Seeing him as I do, I can not help but grieve for him already. He will die young, torn apart before he is even in the prime of his life. A truly tragic loss, as he brings much happiness to the world.

The music ends and with it the dance. Corbin's face clears once more to his usual happy smile.

"Did you have fun sis? Would you like to dance again?".

I shake my head no and step down from atop his feet, though he hugs me and kisses my cheeks before I can leave. I tolerate it and watch for a moment as he wanders off to find someone else to dance with.

I turn and walk away, the crowd separating before me as I do. They look upon me as...different. Strange and unknown. It is okay. I am those things. I know it as much as I know that the butcher's wife is having an affair, one that will result in childbirth. She'll die then, though she will have a healthy son. Her husband will despair, as the child will have his father's tail rather than his own human features. He will give the boy to his best friend, the real father of the child, before casting himself from the cliffs near my shack.

'Perhaps I will be able to catch a shark that day' I think to myself as I plan on the occasion. As I do I spot my mother and father. She with a hat on most others would deem 'silly', he holding a roll of tickets he won from a strength contest. He nodded to me without saying anything and I nodded back. Mother could never understand my brother Luscious and I. We have our father's stoicism with none of her 'passion for life' as she calls it. It's alright. She's a kind enough woman if a bit empty in the head. My father loves her, and that is enough for us. I leave her to him as I continue on my way. I have a stall to occupy anyway. Money to earn. Clothes aren't paid for by themselves after all, and I have little skill with a needle.

I sit down in my tent and await my first customer. I have a fortune teller's sign on the outside advertising that I'll read anyone's future for the right price. I don't expect to earn much. Miners and fishermen can be suspicious, and a young girl claiming to be able to read the future will be too much for many. Enough will come though. I already know that.

The first is a tall man. He is a fisherman with a large boat who came here to sell lobster and buy a trinket for his wife. As he sits I see his skin turn pale, his eyes vacant and hollow. Water pours from his mouth as he speaks to me and sets three coins on my table. A fortune then... I take his hand and look at it for a moment. Long scars, old and faded, speak of a fight with a Grimm sea creature. He nearly lost his hand. He will lose it in the future when his ship is capsized and he drowns. His hand will be crushed and torn away by an unsecured piece of equipment, and he will fall overboard as his ship rolls.

"I see a happy and profitable future for your family. Your wife will be very sad about something that you will fail to do, but then you will make her very happy. You will have a daughter and a son, twins. They'll love you very much".

The sailor scoffs as he gets up but leaves his coin. That is enough for me. Had I told him the truth he would call me a liar and have me sent home. That's why I lie to my customers now, because they never like the truth when I tell it. I find that parts of the truth work best. His wife will be sad. Her husband will fail to come home soon, lost at sea and taken by the Cruel Woman. The wife will then be happy as her husband's insurance money starts coming in and she learns that she is pregnant with twins. They will grow up with a new father, but their mother will always tell them of her first father and the foresight he had in insuring his cargo.

The next to arrive is a young soldier from Atlas. He looks barely older than my brothers. Weak and thin. No one would look at him and think him a soldier. I take his money nonetheless. I have a crystal ball that my brother Luscious gave to me for my eighth birthday. Sometimes it helps me concentrate, other times it is just a pretty bauble. I look into it and see a great deal about this young man. Huh...I won't even have to lie to him. Interesting.

"You will be a hero someday. A soldier and a leader, and while others will fall, you will protect the people of Remnant. You will be remembered for your heroism and save many lives. It may take time, but if you work at it, you will find happiness".

The soldier smiled. I think he actually believes me. Weird. He leaves me an extra coin and laughs. "Yeah right, I'm no soldier. Look at me, I'm scrawny!".

I look him in the eyes...eye. The other looks to poked out and bleeding. "Join the Atlesian Military and serve Puller Dufraine. People will die if you don't save them".

His smile disappears as quickly as he pales. That's actually kind of funny. "H-how do you know my name?".

I raise an eyebrow at him. "Really? I tell you your future and you wonder how I know your name? When you get to boot camp work with the bigger guns. You'll get stronger. Learn to run too. You'll need it".

Puller slowly backed away from me before running out of my tent. I look down at his coins and pocket them. No one else will come for their fortune today, I know that, but I know that I will have one more visitor. Luscious had the smallest part of his corners tilted upwards as he walked in and sat down. "I'm not sure if I've seen you send someone running that fast before. Did he not like what you told him?". I shrug and look expectantly at him. He sighs and lays five tarot cards out on the table.

One shows an empty wine glass in the rain. One a broken pickaxe. One a cut fishing line. One a discarded shoe and the final showed a graveyard covered in snow.

"...Will you tell me what these mean?".

I look at them, then at Luscious. I see his body fade and burn, then turn metallic and cold before melting. I see sadness and pain... faith and insanity. I sigh, and then he has no doubt about what his cards say.

"It is our deaths Lucius".

He looks at me curiously for the first time before sighing. "Lucius huh... A more appropriate name than Luscious at least... Who will die first?".

I tap the broken pickaxe. Our father. Then I tap the wine glass, our brother. The shoe, our mother. Then the line.

Luscious...Lucius, sighs. He knows that we can not change what will be. Doing so will make things worse. "So...Will I live long?".

I raise an eyebrow and he laughs quietly. Huh, this must really have hurt him if he's showing that much emotion. "Will it be quick?".

I close my eyes before tapping the shoe, the wine glass, and the fishing line.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "You know...I hate being able to read these things".

I nod and stand up. He does as well and I take his hand as I walk out.

"Where are we going?".

"You're going to buy me some fried livers brother, then we will share a glass of cider before you join the others for the story tellings".

Lucius smiled slightly. "And you?".

"I will buy a candy apple and go home dear brother. I don't like story time, so I will go fishing". I stop and look at him for a moment as he stands quietly. After some consideration, I hug him. I admit, I do love my brothers, and I miss them when they are away at the Monastery, and while I don't know how to show that I care for them, they are at least warm when I hug them. Father didn't do anything when I hugged him once, and mother got weirded out. I know that she loves me, but like the other townsfolk, she sees me as strange, otherworldly. Father is far closer to the stone he mines than the man that he is. Brother Corbin is strange in his own way and would likely try to dance with me again if I hugged him. Brother Lucius though...He understands. He knows that I don't know how to act and that I care enough not to lie to them. He knows what it is that I see when I look at others. It's hard to care about someone when you know when and how they'll die, and you can see it everytime that you look at them. He doesn't mind that I'm weird, doesn't even see me as a novelty. He admits that I'm not like others, but that's not a bad thing when I'm with him.

We hug for a couple of minutes before I let go. I once more take his hand and lead him to the fried liver stall. He buys me a kabob of livers with peppers and onions, as well as a small loaf of honey-dipped bread. We split the bread, and Lucius knows better than to ask for me to share my livers as they are one of my favorite foods. When we are done he takes the lead and we walk to the next stall. He buys a tankard of cider, one with a fair bit of alcohol in it, and we share it. Sitting next to him, we watch as someone sets off some fireworks and some of the other stalls close for story time.

He takes his coat off and puts it around my shoulders. When I look up at him in confusion he explains that I am little and need to stay warm. I don't say anything but I do close my cloak tighter around my shoulders and put my hood up. My fox ears twitch slightly and I frown. I don't like wearing hoods, but it's better than getting ash stuck in my ears.

We hear the announcement that story time will start soon and many people hurry over to the stage. My brother looks down at me and hugs me once more. "Stay safe little one. I know you'll be safe, but still... I worry about you living alone".

"I've lived alone for a year brother, but thank you for your worry. I will head home now. Go, take care of the others. You'll be needed to keep them safe and sound".

Lucius sighed and nods. Standing up, he bids me farewell as he heads for the stage. The festival is celebrated to celebrate those who die each year, and Lucius is important. Besides, he'll need to let everyone know that he's changing his name to Lucius. Our mother will be disappointed that her son won't be named after her favorite lipstick anymore, but she'll get over it. Besides, Luscious sounds like a stripper's name.

I walk back to my tent and pack some of my things for the night. The tent was rented, so I'll leave it for the owners. I collect my money, my staff, and my crystal ball before beginning the walk back to my hut on the beach. It's not a bad walk, though my feet are sore. Walking several miles each down while barefoot does that. The staff helps with walking, and should anything unpleasant cross me it can give them a good jolt. I smile at it.

My brothers made me this staff when I moved out of our family's house last year. I was eleven, and tired of hearing things said about me. I was called a witch... And while they may be more correct than not, I did not want to deal with the superstitious and suspicious neighbors. So one week my brothers came to visit and they helped me build a hut out of driftwood on a beach a couple of miles outside of town. It is a good place with good fishing. When I'm not telling futures I sell my fish in town. Whatever they think of me, the townspeople still have to eat, so they buy my fish and I buy my cloaks and dresses and fishing line. Economics I think Corbin called it. He also told me that he would teach me how to make a brine that can substitute for a cheap tasting beer in a pinch.

A shame we won't live that long. Oh well. At least he'll find happiness before the end.

When I finally arrive at my hut the sun has long been down and it's pitch black. The shattered moon above is hidden by clouds of ash from the volcanos that give Seven Rings its name. It doesn't matter. I can see fine in the dark. Faunus and all that. My hut still stands, a line of salted fish drying on my wall to be stored for later meals. I lay my staff down as I sit beside the ocean, my sore feet cooling in the surf. I slowly relax and close my eyes. Quiet... No birds live here, no animals, fish don't come near and I have to go further down the beach to find them. Nothing and no one to bother me. It's nice.

I feel my head starting to nod as I begin to fall asleep. Not good. Instead, I stand up and walk back toward my hut. I like the ocean, and I know when and how I'm going to meet my end, but that doesn't mean that there might not be unpleasantness before then. I'd rather not find out that I'd fallen asleep when I'm washed out to sea and get my leg bitten off by one of the many sharks that call our shoreline home.

I sigh as I lay down on my pallet. A thin blanket for comfort on top of a flat piece of slate rock, and my brother's rolled up coat for a pillow. It's not to bad. I've still got my cloak on anyways, so at least I'll stay warm. I think of my brothers and the happiness and sadness that they'll bring to others. I think of the beautiful girl with sad smile I see in their future. I hope I get to meet her. Her rabbit ears look soft. I let my mind drift for a while before I finally sleep and dream of sitting on a beach fishing...

How bothersome. Can't even show emotion in my dreams...


	30. Working the night shift

Alice smiled as she closed up shop for the day. It had been a profitable morning at the Rabbit Hole and the participants in her pole dancing exhibition had been more skilled and enthusiastic than she had expected. The joy of watching middle-aged housewives who wanted to attract the attention of their husbands all over again, young women wanting to learn a new skill, young men seeking new business opportunities, even an elderly trio who do a routine together to stay in shape and keep their minds sharp... It was a wonderful feeling. It was with pride and a lot of compliments that she ended the evening. She had personally seen every one of her students out, each with a compliment, word of advice, and a coupon for a discount on pole installation should anyone want to practice at home.

Waving goodbye to the last out the door, Alice switched the lights off and locked it before heading for the parking lot. Her friend Creed was going to pick her up to take her to her weekend job as a bartender at the Locker bar. It had looked rundown the first time she walked through the doors, but with some work, some help, and not an inconsiderable amount of bugging Pyrite, she was allowed to make some changes to the decor. New furniture, new alcohol and juice selections, lights, an old jukebox, and some much needed smiling had seen the bar looking better than ever. Her Master had said that it was because of her happiness that the place seemed so much better, and while that made her smile, she knew that it wasn't all her.

Holding her arms out, Alice hugged her best friend Creed and kissed her on the lips for a moment before taking the second helmet and getting into the sidecar of Creed's motorcycle. "Hey there love, you had a good night," the rabbit faunus said with a laugh as she revved her bike up and headed out.

Alice laughed and nodded, explaining how her night had gone. Creed listened over the radio built into their helmets as she drove toward the docks. As Creed pulled up to the curb she smiled and nudged Alice. "Wish I could have joined you tonight love. It sounds like it was a lot of fun. How did those three old-timers do? Still doing their routine without their glasses?".

Alice nodded and got out of her sidecar, taking off her helmet. "Yep. Blind as bats without their glasses but their still pretty good at dancing. What did you do tonight if you don't mind me asking?".

Creed shook her head and fixed her hair as the pair walked into the Locker bar. "I don't mind love, and Lucius and I were actually on a stakeout. A dirty old gun dealer who likes younger women. Lucius and I danced for him and a partner of his. Slow dance, if you believe that".

Alice stopped, though it took Creed a moment to notice. When she did, she sighed and hugged Alice again. "Hey, cheer up love. I bet all you'd have to do is to ask Lucius and he'd be glad to dance with you".

Alice nodded and hugged Creed back. She didn't hold it against Creed, even though she knew that the rabbit faunus had feelings for her Master herself. No, she just felt down knowing that nothing would ever come of their relationship. Friends with benefits and part-time lovers, they all knew that they couldn't fall in love. Lucius's work was too important and dangerous, Creed's ideas about self-preservation had proven lacking in the past and showed few signs of changing, and frankly, all three of them were too busy to pursue a relationship... But that didn't stop them from loving each other in their own way, or for her to want more...

Alice smiled and kissed Creed again. "Thanks, babe. I think I will ask him for a dance tonight. Will you come home with us?".

Creed laughed quietly and nodded. "Of course love. Lucius and I have the rest of the night and tomorrow morning off. Why don't we make the most of it?".

Alice nodded happily and gave Creed a squeeze before heading for behind the counter, though not before her friend swatted her on her bottom, eliciting a yelp from her and laughter from Creed.

Alice sighed as she lay her head down on the counter. The remodeling she had done in the Locker had been great and definitely livened up the room. The only problem she had was...it also drew in customers. That was a good thing for certain, but less so when you've been on your feet all day, then on a pole for three hours, and then running around serving drinks...all while wearing four-inch heels. Her feet had all but become numb from the pain and her back was bothering her. Her corset was a tad bit to tight and the bows in her hair had unraveled. All in all, Alice was done with the day.

Creed smiled sympathetically at her friend and began to rub her back. "Come on sweetness, let's get you home".

Alice tiredly nodded, but her eyes didn't open till she found herself being picked up. Blinking, she looked into the face of the person who picked her up before smiling and hugging him tightly. "Master... You came for your Alice".

Lucius Rook nodded, sighing quietly. He had no real understanding as to why the young woman he was carrying toward her car called him Master but telling her to stop had only upset her, so he had learned to accept it. Besides... Being called Master by a beautiful, kind, loving young woman who loved him and his partner...well, he could think of worse things.

Setting Alice in her seat, Lucius put the keys into the ignition and started up the car, Creed soon following them out on to the road. Alice sighed gratefully as she took her heels off, moaning quietly in pain as they began to throb. "There's some cream in the glove box that will help with that," he said quietly as he paid attention to the road. Alice nodded and got out the tube, squirting some orange colored cream onto her fingers before she began rubbing it into her feet. The relief was amazing and this time she moaned in happiness. "That feels so much better Master, thank you".

"...You are welcome, Alice... Be warned, it will numb your feet for some time. Simply let me know when and where you need to go and I will carry you".

Alice smiled and leaned against Lucius, kissing his cheek before relaxing against him. "Thank you, Master. I'll try not to be much of a burden".

Lucius looked down at Alice briefly before wrapping one arm around her and kissing the top of her head. "You're never a burden. You are Alice".

That was enough to have the tired girl wipe a couple of tears away as she snuggled against Lucius. They remained that way till they arrived at her home. Single story with a large backyard, four rooms with three bathrooms, painted a nice red in color. It was a nice looking house with large windows that allowed plenty of light inside and a privacy fence around the backyard. And a final detail. Alice lived in a nudist neighborhood. Her neighbors were asleep at this hour and the neighborhood was quiet, but during the day it was a rather busy place.

Lucius looked down at Alice and gently brushed her hair from her face. She had fallen asleep at his side. "...You do too much Alice" Lucius said quietly before carefully picking her up. Creed pulled up beside the car and turned her motorcycle off before getting her set of keys out and unlocking Alice's door, holding it open for her friends. As Lucius walked past, Creed leaned down and gently kissed Alice's forehead. "You know, she had planned on asking you for a dance tonight. It was something she was looking forward to".

Lucius nodded as he brought Alice inside. "Perhaps tomorrow when she's had some rest. Till then, let's get her into bed".

Creed nodded and went to set up the bed for the three of them. As she did, Lucius lay Alice down and began unlacing her corset. As he did, he heard Alice breath more easily. "Why do you push yourself so hard?" he asked the sleeping girl. His answer was her quiet breathing. Shaking his head, he continued undressing her, setting first her corset, then her miniskirt and thong to the side. Her bra had a built-in bra and she did not wear socks or leggings with her high heels.

When Creed came out of the bedroom she had undressed. Smiling at Lucius, she took Alice into the bedroom and laid her down as she began rubbing soothing oils and medicine into her tired body. While Alice did wake, she didn't make a fuss and simply enjoyed being pampered by her friend.

Lucius soon joined them, also naked as he climbed into bed. It was Alice's house, and Alice's rules were that if someone shared her bed then they had to be dressed like her. In this case, that meant nude.

Where Creed was massaging Alice's back, arms, and chest, Lucius began massaging her feet, legs, and buttocks. All that was required of the young blonde was to simply relax and enjoy. For some reason, she didn't find it hard to follow those instructions.

Once Alice was relaxed enough for her two lovers to cease, the three all lay together in bed. Alice was face to face with Lucius with Creed hugging her from behind. Nothing naughty, nothing involving sex. Just three people who loved each other and wanted to forget why it was a bad idea to fall in love for a little while. With a few kisses, a good night from each, and a promise for them all to do this more often, the three finally went to sleep.


	31. Loremaster makes a decision

The Loremaster of the Northern Enclave of the Faith in the Flame sat down at his desk with a kind smile on his face. "So...tell me, what are you?".

The acolyte before him, Corbin Rook, smiled. "I am a man sir. I fight for our people and I live for them as well".

"Really? Tell me, what are you to your people?".

Corbin shrugged happily. "A dancer, a fighter, maybe just some guy who happens to be good at cheering others up I guess".

"I see. Thank you, young acolyte. Would you mind bringing me my log book? I'm afraid these old bones don't like moving once rested".

Corbin laughed good-naturedly and nodded, getting up and handing the Loremaster his book before being dismissed to return to his lessons.

"So...tell me, what are you?".

Sanguine Rook smiled nervously at the old man in front of her. Being from the Southern Enclave, she was unused to the Loremaster and his eccentric ways. "I'm afraid I don't understand the question, sir. Um... A pathfinder, I guess?".

"Really? Is that what the people see you as?".

Sanguine nervously played with the hem of her shirt. "Well, maybe? I guess so. I've lead a few missions into the desert before, and I even mapped out a cave system under the Southern Enclave" she said with some excitement. "Yes, the people see me as a pathfinder and map maker".

"I see...Thank you for your time young one. You do your teachers proud".

Sanguine beamed and was in a good mood the rest of the day from the Loremaster's compliment...Until she was sent to instruct a junior class on survival techniques for the desert and that no, you can't actually live off of what you pick out of your nose.

"So...tell me, what are you?".

Eminence Orchid smiled and laughed quietly. "A ranger applicant sir, but I don't think that's what you meant".

Loremaster simply smiled and waved his hand for Emi to continue.

"Well, if I had to go in depth about it, I'd probably say that I'm a scholar, like you sir".

"Oh? Why do you say that?".

"My love of books and learning sir, of teaching as well". He smiled broadly at the elder man in front of him. "The teachers of the younger students have thanked me for sitting in on their classes and helping them teach their students. They said that because I help the children with difficulties keeping up with the lessons that those students are able to learn the subject and catch up in time".

Loremaster smiled proudly and nodded. "To learn is admirable, to teach, enviable. You have a skill with students young Eminence, and our Enclave is better for it".

Emi's pleased grin wouldn't have looked out of place on a cat with a bowl of cream in front of it as he was dismissed for lunch.

"So...tell me, what are you?".

The stoic young man in front of Loremaster looked back at his mentor. "I am what the people need me to be," he said simply.

Loremaster blinked before shrugging and writing a note in his book. "Is that so? And how do the people see you?".

Lucius was quiet for a moment as he thought over his answer. "I am feared by some of the younger acolytes...but also respected by the others. I am seen as aloof and somewhat standoffish... That is something that I must work on".

Loremaster sighed and sat up straighter. "Lucius, you are far too serious most of the time and I doubt that you have the capacity to relax. You over analyze and look for hidden meanings and messages even when there is none...You need a hobby or something boy. Why don't you take up painting or something? Music or dance like your brother".

Lucius thought it over before nodding. "Yes, sir. Such things could prove useful in raising morale in stressful circumstances".

Loremaster looked at Lucius for a moment before rubbing the bridge of his nose and dismissing him to go help in the kitchens. Once Lucius was gone, Loremaster groaned. "Gods above and below does that boy need to get laid...".

After some consideration and some conversations with the other priests, Loremaster chose the four acolytes who would be sent to Vale as a part of their agreement with the kingdom. In exchange for some of their resources, four of their acolytes would be trained as Huntsmen in a Valean academy. When they were finished they would serve to protect Vale for ten years before returning home to the enclaves where they would teach their skills for at least four years before being allowed to return to Vale or stay in the enclaves. His final choices were Sanguine Dirge, Eminence Orchid, Corbin Rook, and Lucius Rook. He believed that they showed the best balance of studiousness and faith. They would learn from the Huntsman Academy, and when they returned they would be all the stronger for it, and they would pass on that strength to the next generation as has been their way for the past ten generations.

Loremaster smiled and stretched. As much as he would miss the antics of young Corbin, he hoped that the boy's brother learned to loosen up some before he burned himself out. He had seen it happen to far too many over the years, ESPECIALLY those of the Cleansing Flame. Corbin he hoped would be more responsible when he returned. If he was then he would make a good candidate to be his replacement. Sanguine was a good girl, but he hoped that she kept her joy through the hard years of training ahead of her. And finally Eminence. Not in a long time had he seen someone who enjoyed teaching as much as Eminence did. He had spoken to the teachers the young man had sat in on. Each gave him glowing praise, saying that he was wonderful with children and cared enough to walk them through any question they needed help with.

Truly their best and brightest. Loremaster placed his orders on top of his desk before laying down to nap. He would give them out after he informed the headmaster of...What was the academy called again? Bacon? He would inform the headmaster of bacon as to when he could expect his newest transfer students tomorrow. Till then, the Sandman and dreams of his long gone wife beckoned to him...


	32. Lucius has a dream

"It's your fault...".

"You did this...".

You killed us...".

You kiilleed uss".

You Killed Us".

"You Killed Us!".

"You killed Us!".

"YOU MURDERED US!".

WE WERE ALL YOU HAD AND YOU KILLED U! YOU THREW US AWAY! WE'RE DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!".

"DEAD!".

"DEATH!".

"DIE!".

"DIE!".

"DIEEE!".

Lucius slowly breathed out as he sat up. Looking to the side, he saw his teammates sleeping peacefully. Creed was at his side while Forrest and Umber slept in their own bed. Getting up, Lucius went to the bathroom and got under the sink. His team kept a small bottle of alcohol hidden away in one of the ceiling panels in case of an 'emergency'. This, in Lucius's eyes, didn't count as an emergency, but a strong shot of whiskey most assuredly sounded like the right thing right about now.

Taking a small swig from the bottle, Lucius sat down on the side of the bathtub to think back over his dream. Once again he saw his teammates killed before him. Once more he saw his brother and friends butchered before feeling the dune witch's taloned hand tearing into his stomach. The scar burned and he sighed, knowing that it wasn't all in his head.

Monsterous creatures, a dune witch's talons were covered in a nasty poison. Completely harmless to anything else on Remnant, the poison caused horrible pain and nightmares in humans and could stay in their bodies for months or even years. Scientists of Atlas claimed it to be an evolutionary trait, designed to protect itself better from its only natural enemy. The priests of his faith, however, had a simpler, and in Lucius's eyes, far more accurate opinion: That the poison was the Grimm's hatred made manifest.

Lucius took another sip before he heard a quiet knock on the door. He didn't say anything, knowing who was there. He didn't have to.

The door opened and Creed came into the bathroom carrying her pillow and their blankets. Seeing Lucius, she put one blanket down in the tub along with a pillow before sitting beside. Without asking, she reached out and took the alcohol from him. She stared at it for a moment before whispering "Your team again?". At his nod, Creed tipped the bottle up and took a long drink before putting the cover back on and putting it away under the sink. She then pushed Lucius into the tub before crawling in and laying on top of him, her rabbit ears tucked down behind her. Covering them with the second blanket, she kissed him on the cheek and lay her head down on his shoulder.

Lucius wrapped his arms around Creed and stared up at the ceiling for some time. Her even breathing soon told him that his partner had fallen asleep. He breathed out and slowly forced himself to relax. It was a dream, but not inaccurate. He knew that his team would never blame him for their deaths. He knew better though. Time and again he had gone over what had gone right and what had gone wrong. What he could have done differently that would have allowed his team to come home. The psychiatrist had claimed that he was not bothered by what happened. That he had sat down and acted like nothing was wrong.

He didn't understand. None of them did. They weren't of the Faith, so they simply couldn't understand. His path was that of the Cleansing Flame. His purpose was to bring fire to the darkness. The lose of his team... Yes, he went over it again and again, but not because of guilt. He wanted to learn from their loss. What he could have done to change the outcome. So many had died because of his failure, why not learn from it so that the next failure may be prevented?

As for the nightmares... Most of it was a byproduct of the poison. It caused vivid dreams of an unpleasant nature, and the fact that it weakened his lungs as well didn't help either. Many nights had he awoken feeling like he couldn't breath, his diaphragm spasming and forcing the air out of his lungs. Other nights he would wake and have to vomit blood in the toilet because the walls of his lungs had weakened again. Gone were the days of his early morning running and his high-speed training, replaced with coffee and a newspaper or watching the younger students preen like peacocks, thinking how foolish they looked with how assured in their own strength they were.

Lucius rubbed the bridge of his nose for a moment before concentrating on Creed's breathing. For two years he had ignored her, thinking she was a threat and annoyance and nothing more. Now though... He closed his eyes. He knew what dreams awaited him in his sleep, but until he finally slept, he could daydream. And in his daydream, he was holding a grey-haired rabbit faunus infant up for the child's mother to see. Creed reaching out to him with a simple gold ring on her left hand. Such a thought brought the slightest of smiles to Lucius's face as he slowly relaxed enough to fall back asleep.


	33. Casper in the field

Power...Such a silly word. What was power anyway? To her brother Lucius, it was the ability and will to enforce your will. To her brother Corbin, something that old people fight over and say they have when they really don't. To her father, it was willpower. Her mother, money.

To her...Power was just a word without meaning, just like reality, death, life, emotion, and time. All of them were bland, simplified words that humans used to delude themselves into thinking that they held meaning. Narrow-minded foolishness. Silly. Pointless.

Casper opened her eyes and looked around. She saw many things. Things that were real, things that were not, things that once were, and things that never were. It was mildly interesting, but the sight soon bored her. She turned her back on the empty field full of stones, ignoring the cries of a thousand dead and dying from long before she was born and long after she had died. She gave no heed to a monstrous creature with far too many teeth and no eyes bearing down on her. Why should she? Afterall, it wasn't real. She didn't even slow as she passed through a being that looked and spoke like her brother Lucius but was no longer something to concern herself with.

As Casper walked, her staff quietly tapping as she did, she resigned herself to the long years ahead. This world of Remnant, full of wonders and monsters, heroes and villains, the fantastic and fanciful reality that she made her home and grave... it bored her.

Lucius looked down at his sister's memorial, lost in long ago memories. Fishing with her, stopping the other children from trying to bully her, building her staff with his brother so that she would always be protected even when they weren't there.

"...Brat" he said quietly, laying a single dead flower atop her memorial. He didn't know what kind it was originally, and that was what Casper liked. Living flowers were something she took no interest in, but sometimes he would see her collecting dead flowers, setting them in a jar she kept in her hut. She liked the scent for some reason.

A small thing, the memorial. It was made of polished granite and bore his sister's name and symbol, a single half covered eye. He remembered how Corbin once made the observation that while Lucius's eye was wide open and observant, Casper's looked closer to falling asleep.

"Until we meet again sister," Lucius said with a subdued smile. Lucius looked at the sky once before turning and leaving the empty field, wishing that he could see his sister just one more time...


	34. Flight from Vale

The footsteps of the refugees were getting slower, more erratic. Private First Class Puller Dufraine slowly came to a halt, gesturing to the fleeing people to rest. Many people simply fell on the road where they stood, too exhausted for anything else. Those still able, and willing, tended to what few children remained with them.

Puller's heart ached as he took a headcount and realized that another six had fallen behind. He shook his head in sorrow but didn't let it show on his face. No need for the refugees to realize how many of their number had fallen already. It would only upset them, and that would only draw in the Grimm...

Two Huntsmen had traveled with them all the way from Vale. A man and woman, the man was shaking from exhaustion as he tried to rest against a tree. He lay his spear down, what little weight it had too much after their flight from Vale. The pair had joined up with Puller's refugee group as they had passed out of the city. For the first few miles they had tried to protect their group, but trying to protect frightened civilians was not a task they were ready for and several were lost and left behind so that the others may live.

The woman, apparently his wife, was doing her best to tend to her ailing husband. She had a pair of pistols on her hips, though she would only be able to use one at a time for now seeing as how her left thumb had been torn off and her hand hastily wrapped with a torn shirt. The woman, Rowan, offered her husband what little water still remained in her canteen.

Cedar was too weak to accept it. Having just gotten back to Vale from a patrol to the far south, neither was well equipped for the surprise attack. Cedar had a heart condition that required medication that he was meant to pick up after the Vytal Festival finished for the day, and both had very little in reserve in regards to ammunition for their weapons, having been in Vale on vacation and had not planned to resupply for a couple of days.

Rowan looked down in despair, not knowing how to help her weakening husband and unwilling to leave him behind should he fall.

Puller took watch over the group despite wanting nothing more than to sit and rest. The atmosphere of sorrow was palpable. The only reason Grimm hadn't swarmed their group already was the draw of the city of Vale itself. Even now, after they had come so far, the fires in the city were still visible and screams and gunfire could still be heard. He was all that remained of his squad. When everything went wrong in Vale, his commanding officer had given an order for the platoon to break into two-man groups that would gather as many refugees as they could as they tried to lead them out of Vale. Puller's partner had fallen behind, an injury to his leg slowing him. Unfortunately, it was a fact that the stragglers would pay the price for the time the refugees used to run.

He had started in charge of one hundred evacuees with one other soldier. He was down to thirty civilians, mostly men but with a few women and children, and the two Huntsmen, though he wasn't sure how long they would remain. He was no doctor, but even he could tell that the man had been on his last legs for miles now, and the woman was less and less calm about his situation.

Puller approached the pair and knelt down beside them. "How's he doing?" he whispered quietly to the woman.

"He's fine. He'll be up and running when it's time to go. He just needs a few minutes of rest is all" Rowan replied sharply, glaring at Puller. Her glare faltered when she felt a hand on her arm. Looking down, she saw Cedar smiling wearily at her. "...Calm..." he said quietly.

Rowan let out a choked sob before nodding. She needed to remain calm, at least around the others. Fear was bad, but thirty-odd stragglers panicking because their Huntress protector was screaming would be sure to attract Grimm.

Puller shook his head and patted Cedar's arm. "We can rest for another ten minutes or so," he said as he stood. Cedar's eyes had already closed but Rowan nodded to him, mouthing a quiet thank you to Puller. Puller nodded back before he once more walked around to try and calm down or cheer up the remaining survivors...

As the final moment of rest was counting down and Puller was organizing everyone, sounds could be heard in the distance. No unusual, but they were not natural in nature and did not come from Vale. Puller looked off into the distance before asking Rowan to climb a tall tree nearby.

Rowan kissed her husband's forehead and promised to be right back before getting a running start and climbing up the tree. Once she was near the top Rowan looked toward the noise as it grew steadily louder. After a moment she laughed in relief and joy as she hurried down the tree to deliver the news.

"Soldiers! More soldiers are coming!".

Puller got survivors to get off the road with the help of Rowan as a powerful looking truck in Vale Army green and brown camouflage drove near them, its powerful lights easily illuminating the scared people. Slowing to a stop, the truck was quiet a moment before the front passenger door opened and a young man stepped out.

Puller was quick to safety his rifle before holding his hands up and approaching. "Private First Class Puller Dufraine, Atlesian Army Regulars, First Battalion, Second Company".

The man looked at Puller for a moment, then the exhausted people around him. "Did you lot run all the way from Vale?" he asked quietly. "What's going on in the city?".

Puller sighed and shook his head. "Vale's a war zone. White Fang brought Grimm into the city and something went wrong with the Atlesian Knights because they began shooting everyone... Is there anything you can do to help us?".

The young man looked around for a moment before ducking back into the truck. When he came back out he smiled to Puller. "Good news for you Privat Dufraine. Our Captain sends word that he's leading an armored column toward us as we speak. He says he can give you folks a ride if you don't mind going back to Vale with him".

Puller looked to the survivors. Many looked frightened at the thought of going back to Vale while the fighting was still ongoing, others looked angry, calling the young soldier a fool and worse for wanting to go to Vale. Puller nodded his head. "We'll thank your captain for his help. I don't think we could go much further if we wanted to".

As the promised armor column arrived Rowan walked over to her husband with a smile on her face. "We're going to make it babe! Army's here and they're going to get us patched right up. After some food and a rest, we can get right back to helping people!".

Cedar remained silent.

Rowan knelt down and touched Cedar's shoulder. "Babe? Cedar? ...Come on babe, quit fooling around..." she said as she began shaking him.

No response.

"..M-Medic! I need help!" Rowan called, screaming for one of the army healers to come save her husband.

Two medics ran over to try to help Cedar. They checked him over, though he wasn't breathing and his heart had stopped. CPR failed, adrenaline failed, and when they used a defibrillator that failed as well. Shaking her head in sadness and with tears in her eyes, the younger of the two went back to the column to help the civilians mount up as her senior gave Rowan the bad news...

Rowan sadly watched as the armored column pulled away and headed for Vale, leaving her with her husband. Cedar had started to become cold and was already becoming stiff to the touch. She sat behind him with his head in her lap and gently brushed his hair, telling him stories and recollecting how they had first met and their first date.

"Heh...I remember...You were a clown at the circus and I put a dead fish down your pants...". Rowan laughed quietly even as her tears wet Cedar's hair. "I remember how much of a lightweight you were on our first date... Who gets drunk on spiked chocolate milk" she laughed sadly. "You know...I was actually going to ask you if you wanted to move to Vacuo in a few years...Maybe settle down, maybe have some brats...". Rowan could hardly see anything through her tears, but she could hear the howls of Grimm in the distance.

"...They're coming closer now babe...Won't be long now".

She gently kissed Cedar's forehead and held him close as she heard the approaching Beawolves. "...I love you Cedar" she whispered as she placed one of her pistols to her head, and then nothingness overtook her...


	35. Good to be home

Ambrose was quiet as he was finishing the patrol of the perimeter of his farm. The birds were chirping peacefully in the trees and he could see the occasional squirrel in the branches. No Grimm had approached today, no bandits either.

He stopped for a moment to look out over the cornfield. They were nearing harvest time and soon he would need to do the final maintenance on the combine to get it ready. The southern field would be given over to the goats though. Their numbers had been growing more the past few years and while he needn't worry about their going hungry it was easier to just feed them some of the extra corn than buying feed from the store.

With a sigh Ambrose continued on his patrol, his bones telling him that fall was here and cold weather would be coming before he knew it. Grey hair replaced much of his brown and his skin was the color of old leather from years of working in the sun. No longer a mercenary, Ambrose had retired from the Guns of Atlas and taken to working on his farm with his wife Jade and their children. The work was hard and the hours long but at the end of the day he could hold his wife and eat with his family and that was worth all the missed missions over the years.

Thinking of his wife, Ambrose's lips turned up in the slightest of smiles. Still beautiful as the day they'd met, her hair had a few greys in it as well and there were mornings he would wake to her trying to smooth the few wrinkles she saw on her face. Motley and Luna were both grown and while both visited often, they had their own lives away from the two of them and he couldn't be prouder. Motley had become a teacher and helped with the farm during her summer months. Luna had become a Huntress and married her little friend Snow.

All was well on the Spike farm as he saw it. Goats were healthy and strong, children the same, the corn was nearly ready, and the pecan trees he and Jade planted the year she moved in were maturing nicely.

Ambrose looked out over the fields of corn to the tall pecan trees. When Jade moved in he had decided to be more active on the farm. So he and Jade had worked together to plant a small orchard. Pecans, apples, and some berry plants had been bought and carefully planted behind the house, giving them some variety. An old associate, Tybalt, had even sent them grape vines to nurture on the condition that they are used to make wine. Their last batch was a sour white wine that went well with strong cheese, or so he had been told. Ambrose didn't drink wine, so he couldn't tell.

Pausing at one tree, in particular, Ambrose touched the headstone at its base. After being by his side for nearly twenty years, Balls had finally lain down for his eternal rest. A quiet winter's morning, bundled up against the cold and with his favorite food, a warm fruit and oat gruel with honey made by Jade herself, he passed away in his sleep.

The family had mourned his loss together. Motley had taken time off from teaching and Luna was allowed to stay home from school for a week as the family grieved. They had lain Balls to rest where he liked to nap in the summer, and as Jade had told him his wishes, they had planted an apple tree over him that he may provide for his family even in death.

Ambrose nodded in respect, whispering a quiet hello to the grave of his oldest friend before he finished his patrol. Walking into the house, he set Salamander's Backbone down near the door. The old weapon was worn smooth from use over the years but was still as dangerous as ever. Ambrose made a note to check it over, later on, to ensure its continued service, though his mind calmed and all thought of his weapon faded as he looked at his beautiful wife as she was bustling about, preparing supper.

Ambrose was proud of Jade as he watched her move. When she had come into his life she had been underweight and trying to be a single mother. Now, she was active and eat a regular and healthy diet without all the pressure and abuse from her family. She was safe here, and she knew it. Beyond that, he and Jade's aunt Moira had made certain that Jade had a weapon and training to defend herself from any more abuse. Jade had learned not to take abuse from anyone, that she faced any here. Within days of arriving, Jade had the devotion of the goats and even some of the feral pigs out in the forest would come to see her.

Given the chance, Jade had become a veterinarian, tending the animals and going on patrol alongside Ambrose. She had learned how to shear and spin the goat hair into yarn, and the both of them and Motley had learned how to make cheese from the milk. When they first collected the fruits and nuts, it was Jade who suggested that they preserve them with honey. To help with that, they had bought a bee colony. At this point, the farm was nearly completely self-sufficient, all because of Jade's suggestions.

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to wash up and help me sug'?" Jade asked, having finally caught Ambrose watching her.

Ambrose smiled slightly and nodded. "I'll get to it ma'am," he said, heading for the sink. On the way he leaned over, kissing Jade's smiling lips. It was good to be home.


	36. Sir Cheese and his squires

Sir Cheese Doodle was a rather strange knight. For one, he rode on a four-wheeler ATV or a massive war goat rather than a horse. For another, he had two squires with him rather than one. And for the third, while he had no problems with serving oneself, he believed that a knight must serve others before himself.

Riding his goat through the countryside of Vale was generally relaxing to the wandering knight. He enjoyed the pleasant air, the beautiful foliage, and the pleasant company of his squires Snow and Luna. The pair had asked him to train them as knights, and after he had gotten permission from their parents he had agreed. Now, Sir Cheese rode a few paces in front of the teens on the back of a large, grey-furred war goat. Specially trained to fight and carry heavy weights over long distances, the war goats of Spike Farm were creatures prized as mounts and companions.

Luna rode on a shaggy grey while her partner rode a beautiful white. Their mounts were different, being the offspring of a goat and pig, conceivable only when near special dust crystals, the results being tough pigs with horns and long fur.

Luna had a sword and scabbard strapped to her goat with a shield on her back while Snow had a saber and rifle on his. Sir Cheese also carried his shield stowed on his back, but he also had a large banner with his personal sigil emblazoned on it tied to the back of his armor on a pole while carrying his lance at all times. As the knight said, one does not know when and where a battlefield is, only that it's best not to be the last to find out.

It had been a long day of riding so far and the squires were ready for camp and rest. Snow's stomach growled and he sighed, dearly wishing to break camp so he could set about preparing the brace of rabbits he had shot earlier. Luna, a tiger faunus, had taken great joy in teasing him about being a cannibal as Snow was a rabbit faunus. His reply was that if it made her uncomfortable then he would gladly eat her share as well. She had quickly apologized and stopped teasing him for it, though he did have a nice bruise on his left arm from their sparring that he suspected was his reward for winning.

Sir Cheese held his fist up, signaling a halt. The fact he hadn't dismounted though told them something was up. After a few seconds, Snow's eyes went wide. "I hear screams, fighting!".

Sir Cheese nodded and grinned as he lowered his helmet. "To battle squires, we are needed!".

There had been an accident in one of the barns. An old piece of wood had given out and had dropped nearly a dozen circular saw blades each large enough to bisect a thick log down on a young man. He wasn't fortunate enough to die though, and the pain and fear he felt was a beacon to the Grimm nearby. Not strong enough to draw them in alone, the lad had been well-liked and had a large family so even more people felt sorry. That had been enough, and soon the village was under attack.

They were lucky enough to have a wooden palisade, but that hadn't been enough on its own and many of the hunters and guards had stood bravely on the wall, firing at the charging Grimm. That had been enough for some time, but then the gate had fallen and the defense had turned into first a fighting retreat, and then into a rout. The fear in the villagers was enough to drive the Grimm into a frenzy and even more were caught. That all changed though when the knight and his squires arrived.

A strange sight, the knight charged straight into the flank of the Grimm alongside one of his squires. Leading with his lance, he skewered two Beowolves before dismounting. The squire who had galloped at his side stayed on her goat and fought back against the horde as her partner covered her with his rifle.

The knight looked strange indeed with his curved beak shaped helmet and chicken legs, but beggars couldn't be choosers, so when the knight began fighting those who were armed slowed and considered joining him.

"Rally to me! To me! Sons and daughters of Vale, to me!" he shouted, bashing the Grimm with his shield and stabbing with his lance. Heeding his call, everyone capable of fighting stepped forward and formed up behind him. His waving banner their focal point, the fighting men and women flocked to Sir Cheese and lead their families to his protection.

Luna slowed to wipe sweat from her brow, trusting Snow to protect her and her mount Wilbur. "How are you doing Snow?" she asked before blocking an attack from a Beowolf. A shot rang out and the Beowolf dropped, a hole in its throat. "Running low on ammo but alright. Cheese sure seems to be enjoying himself at least". Once Snow ran out of cartridges for his weapon he dismounted and hurried to the wounded civilians with a first aid kit in one hand and his saber in the other. "Hold the line behind Sir Cheese. Were knights and Huntsmen, we'll keep you safe".

An audible sigh of relief came from the villagers and the fighters redoubled their efforts. Handing off the first aid kit to a woman claiming to be a nurse, Snow ran to protect his partner as his mount Frost bleeted a warning. An Ursa crashed through the palisade wall near the civilians, knocking down Snow with a piece of broken timber. Luna growled at it and jumped on its head, bashing it in the skull with her shield before stabbing it for hurting her friend. In pain and blinded by Luna's attack, the Ursa roared and stumbled around trying to dislodge her. Luna doggedly held on even as several guards began firing into the Ursa's chest with abandon. They stopped though when Snow stood and charged the creature, stabbing it in the chest with his saber.

Still not dead, the Ursa swiped Snow to the side and finally dislodged Luna, throwing her after Snow. She landed on top of him, dazing both of them. The villagers cried in alarm until a loud pop was heard and a hole big enough for a child to crawl through appeared in the Ursa's chest. As the Ursa fell a loud 'Huzzah!' could be heard, surprising the villagers. Sir Cheese stood proud, his helmet up and his banner still waving proudly as Beowolves disintegrated around him. "The day is won! Rejoice and rejuvenate for there is much work to be done before we rest" Sir Cheese said with a smile as he walked over to Luna and Snow, offering them a hand up.

Luna looked up at Cheese with wide eyes. "What was that?!".

Cheese's eyebrow rose before he laughed and nodded, taking Luna's hand and easily lifting her to her feet. "Ah, well, seems most people want a weapon that does more than it should, so I worked on my lance and put a small laser cannon in it".

Luna could only stare at Cheese in shock as he helped Snow to his feet. "Wait, you put a CANNON into your lance?!".

"A laser one, yes," Cheese said with a chuckle, patting Snow firmly on the shoulder and nearly knocking him over. Once Snow was steady, Sir Cheese wandered over to help with the wounded and the rebuilding of the defenses.

Luna looked after the knight and shook her head before looking at Snow. "Can you believe this?".

Snow laughed quietly and put his arm around Luna. "Think ideas like that are why he gives us beer every day? To help forget how strange he is?".

Luna gave that sentence some honest consideration before sighing. "That's not something to figure out sober...let's go help the villagers".

Snow nodded and the pair began walking over to help rebuild, ignoring the thought of their 'gallant' mentor with a laser cannon...for now.


	37. Ambrose as a firefighter

Ten years now Jade had been living with him. Ten years since she'd had her beautiful little girl and brought her sweet pig to live on his farm. Ambrose reached into his pocket and felt a little box. Ten years he's trusted her, cared about her. They'd seen each other through sickness and injury, through famine and change. Jade Amare had been by his side for so long that according to some old laws in Vale they would have been man and wife on record. She had even helped him care for his adopted daughter Motley when he was out of his depth... Ambrose sighed and took his hand out of his pocket. He didn't know why he hadn't given her that little box years ago...but he did. He did know. He was afraid, even now.

Ambrose sighed as he washed his hands for supper. He knew that Jade would never hurt him, would even protect him. She had trusted him to teach her how to shoot and had even gone on patrol with him before. She was loving and kind, gentle as could be and strong as she needed to be. She was amazing...perfect even...

Ambrose shook his head and helped set the table for dinner. Jade had made them a delicious smelling potato soup while he was out training with his fire crew. He cared about his family and wanted to be with them enough that he had chosen to help fight fire rather than the creatures of Grimm. With Moira Agincourt's blessing, he had left the Guns of Atlas mercenary group to become a firefighter so he could spend more time with his family and less time all over Remnant.

Jade smiled at Ambrose and began ladling the soup into bowls as Ambrose sliced some bread for them to have with supper. "Would you mind calling for Luna sug? I think she's tending the goats right now".

Ambrose nodded and finished with the bread before setting the knife to the side and going out on the front porch. "Luna, it's dinner time. Come get cleaned up" he shouted toward the barn.

A little tiger faunus with straw in her hair and a baby goat holding her tail in its mouth came out of the barn, a huge grin on her face. "Okay, tell mama I'll be right there!".

Ambrose waved to her to let her know he heard her and went back inside to deliver the news. When he did, he saw Jade frowning and setting the landline scroll down on its receiver. "Bad news sug. That was your captain. All off-duty personnel are to report at the fire station. A wildfire's sprung up in western Vale and they need everyone".

Ambrose nodded quickly and went to get his gear while Jade filled a thermos with the soup and filled a second with coffee. Luna walked in with a smile just to frown when Ambrose walked in with his boots and adjusting his overalls. "Mama?".

"Don't worry sweetie, Ambrose just got called to help fight a fire. Everything will be alright. Go get cleaned up now. We'll stay up for a bit tonight so we can greet Ambrose when he gets home".

Luna nodded, not very certain if everything really was alright but trusting her mother. She gave Ambrose a tight hug and kissed him on the cheek, telling him to take care and goodbye before scurrying off to do as her mother instructed.

Ambrose paused to smile slightly before he once more went back to getting ready. "Thank you, Jade," he said as he accepted the bag she held out to him with the thermoses inside. "Take care and stay safe".

Jade nodded and kissed Ambrose's cheek before he hurried out the door to his truck. She stayed in the doorway as she watched him drive off before sighing and going back inside to have supper...though she wasn't likely to eat much with her stomach in knots from worry...

It was bad, really bad. The fire chief knew it was going to get worse and that's why all of duty crew members had been recalled but he hadn't expected the sheer scope of the fire. Over a hundred thousand acres had already burned with another quarter of a million in danger. There had already been a town on the frontier that had burned to the ground. Nearly thirty people had died including four firefighters before the evacuation was complete.

Ambrose hadn't been in the first wave, but he had been sent to a dangerous area where the trees were already burning. With his flamethrower Salamander's Backbone, he was able to destroy much of the flammable undergrowth in a controlled burn. Between repeats of that and a few trees being cut down, things had seemed to be going in favor of the fire crews at first.

All it took was a single Beawolf charging out of the fire to put everyone in danger. The Beawolf was mad from pain, it's back coated in flames and cinders as it charged headlong past the firefighters. Where it went, embers fell from its back and ignited brush fires, putting everyone in danger. The captain called for a retreat even as the Beawolf was brought down. Its death didn't matter anymore, the damage had already been done.

The winds changed direction, breathing life into the dying embers and stoking them into a full-blown blaze. Fire crews started falling back, but a few were cut off by the unexpected fires. Ambrose did what he could to help, burning off undergrowth to stall the fire, giving others time needed to cut trees the cut off crews could cross out of the danger zone.

Again and again, heedless of the danger to himself, Ambrose worked to give the other crews time. Soon the last of the cut off crews were away from immediate danger and Ambrose was ordered to pull back

"The fires seem to be fifty-percent under control on the eastern age, but lack of personnel and the needed equipment has kept the fire from truly being under control. We now go live to our on the scene reporter, Tint Brosney. Tint, how are things where you are?".

Coming up side by side with the view of the newsroom was a video of a man with orange hair and a blue mustache. Behind him could be seen a long ribbon of orange going from horizon to horizon with the occasional plane seen dumping water on it. Near to the man could be seen fire crews resting and eating as buses full of people were being taken from the town they were in.

"While things could be better here, it seems that the firefighters of Vale and the surrounding area have things relatively under control here Noir. Behind me, as you can see is the Valean forest service dumping thousands of gallons of water on the fire in an effort to dampen it so that the crews on the ground will have an easier time stopping it. As things stand, there are three planes in the air as we speak dropping water and fire suppressant on both the fire and the area in front of it. The belief right now is that the fire will follow the path of the valley here leading toward Vale. To stop that, the crews have blanketed the area around the town of Dorado with suppressant. The crews will work to stop the fire from getting to the town, but as things stand, they might not be able to. That aside, the people of Dorado have been evacuated and if necessary the floodgates in a nearby dam can be opened. That would flood the valley for some time, but the fire will most assuredly be put out. Back to you Noir".

"Thank you Tint. In other news, the price of wood products is sure to see a spike due to the fires. We are already hearing reports about-".

Jade turned the television off and sighed. The static electricity in the air made it impossible to get news from the fire crews near the fire and the reporters weren't going anywhere near the blaze itself just to ask about some random firefighter. She looked down at Luna, curled up beside her with her head in her lap. Jade smiled a bit and gently brushed her hair and pet her ears.

Motley had stayed up for some time as well, but this was the sixth day after Ambrose had been called in and she needed to be in school on Tuesday. That said, Motley didn't want to be alone and had taken to sleeping in the bed with Jade and Luna. It wasn't much, but all three of them were worried about Ambrose.

"...Come home sug...We miss you".

Time and time again the firefighters were forced to pull back from the blaze. Everything they tried had only stalled the flames, disheartening the crews as time and again they saw their brothers and sisters cut off, some never to escape the flames. The exhausted crews took shelter in a town near a small river with a dam on one end, sleeping where they could, looking for lost crewmates when they couldn't. The townspeople had mostly evacuated when they were told, but a few had chosen to stay behind to try to fight the fire.

Ambrose was exhausted. He had been near the worst parts of the blaze almost nonstop. His knowledge of fire and his equipment meant that he was the one to hold the line while the others fell back. When he was ordered to the fall back area all he had done was rinse his mouth four times before drinking a gallon of water and immediately falling asleep. When he woke up everything hurt and he was starving so he ate some MREs that were given to him, six in all, before sleeping again.

When Ambrose finally was able to keep his eyes open and pay attention he found out that the fire was too much for them and that in order to halt its advance they were going to demolish the town. Opening the floodgates was something that command wanted to be avoided at all costs but if that meant losing an empty town then so be it.

Ambrose sighed and gathered his gear before reporting to his lieutenant. since he was a demolitions expert he was going to help with planting the explosives. As Ambrose shouldered a bag full of charges he looked out at the fire and thought of how at least he wouldn't have to keep breathing smoke if this worked.

It didn't work... well, it did, but a crew got cut off.

Ambrose cursed quietly as he worked to clear a way for them. The trees around them were like kindling for the fire and he could feel the heat from over a hundred feet away. He flinched as he saw a tree fall in his path. Gritting his teeth, he vaulted over the burning tree and was soon able to get to the crew. One was down having inhaled too much smoke and passed out, while another had a broken ankle from stumbling in a hole.

Taking charge of those still able to move, Ambrose picked up the unconscious man, freeing up the other two to carry the third. Moving back toward the path he had come from, Ambrose frowned when he saw it burning. Fire to the front, fire to the sides, fire to the rear... They were trapped.

Looking around, Ambrose spotted an empty pool in someone's backyard. With a quick order, the fence around it was soon cut and the crew huddled down in it. There would be no rescue for them. Ambrose was meant to be the rescue. If they weren't back in ten minutes then they would be presumed dead and the floodgates would be considered clear to open.

"Are we going to die here?" one of the firemen asked. Young, barely out of school, he looked to be no more than twenty at the most. Ambrose looked at him for a moment, then at the others before shaking his head. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out an emergency foil blanket. The others soon followed suit and pulled theirs out as well. Huddling together, the five firefighters tried to make themselves as small as possible as they heard the inferno raging around them and over their heads.

Ambrose groaned as he felt the heat sear his fingers even through his fireproof gloves. He didn't move them though and tried to ignore the pain as the fire above tried to suck their air from their lungs. The others put the unconscious man's mask on him so he could breath before taking care of themselves and Ambrose. By then, a sound like the hammer of an angry god shook the valley. The floodgates had been opened...

Jade was worried and it had shown. Since Ambrose had left she had lost nearly five pounds just from stress. She hadn't been eating right the past week and it was starting to tell. Her normally beautiful skin and hair were now looking more frazzled than ever and she had become slightly paler from staying inside with the television on in case Ambrose was on the news. The fire had been put out two days ago but still no word from him. She feared the worst and had checked in with his captain every day to see if a word had come back from him.

Motley, despite not wanting to, had gone back to teaching. Luna had gone back to her own school as well, though she at least could come home at nights.

It was while Jade was washing the dishes that she heard the front door being opened and shut. That surprised her since no one was supposed to be there beside her.

"Hello?". Jade picked up a kitchen knife just in case and went to see who it was.

Standing in front of the doorway, was Ambrose.

Lip quivering, Jade dropped the knife. She took first one step, then another, before running to Ambrose and throwing her arms around him. She cried into his shoulder as he held her, her calling him one or two less than polite names for not calling or letting anyone know what happened. After a few minutes, Ambrose just smiled slightly and gently kissed her on the lips.

That shocked Jade. Never, not once in ten years, had Ambrose initiated a kiss on her lips. So surprised was she that she didn't even react when Ambrose slowly sank to one knee and held an open box up to her. Inside was a ring. It was plain, simple silver with a green band through the middle, but nonetheless it nearly stopped Jade's heart.

"Jade Amare...Would you marry me?".

Jade was silent a moments before nodding her head. "Y-yes. Yes...Yes, Ambrose". She slowly smiled wider and wider, happy as could be as he took the ring out of the box and carefully slid it on her finger. That broke the spell on Jade and she laughed from happiness and hugged Ambrose tightly.

He stood up and held on to Jade, kissing her again and again. Nothing too sexual, but Jade understood and cherished each and every kiss. "N-not, not that I'm complaining or reckon on changing my mind hun, but what brought this on?".

Ambrose was quiet for a moment before speaking. "...I thought I was going to die, Jade. I thought I would never see you again, that I would never see the girls again...And I regretted never asking you to marry me".

Ambrose pressed his forehead to Jade's, looking into her beautiful green eyes. "I've wanted to for a long time Jade. I don't know when I fell in love with you, but I bought that ring years ago, even before leaving the Guns. I've shared my life with you, and you've been such an important part of mine, that I wanted to share my name with you...I love you Jade, and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you how much you mean to me".

Jade was at a loss for words, but it was a good thing that kissing didn't require words.

Ambrose's body was scarred in that fire but he was grateful every day for having gone through it. His fingers were scalded by his own sweat but luckily didn't receive permanent damage and soon healed. He suffered some burns on his back and arms, some of those leaving scars he had the rest of his life. His beard and eyebrows were singed and after spending time with Jade she gave him a shave and haircut so that she wouldn't have to look at his lopsided hair and be bothered by it.

Ambrose and three of the firefighters in the pool made it out without permanent injury. While the one with a broken ankle would start hurting whenever it rained, the one unconscious from smoke inhalation nearly died. During recovery, it was discovered that his lungs had been slightly seared by the flames and damaged by the smoke. While they were able to lead a normal life, they had to leave their work with the fire crews.


End file.
